BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

Today, companies have more reasons to engage in the fight against corruption than ever before. In 2010 alone, we’ve seen a record-breaking prison sentence and evidence of massive increases in nearly every measureable enforcement metric related to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). We’ve witnessed the enactment of the UK Bribery Bill 2010, which has been called the “toughest enforcement standard in the world.” We’ve heard global investors voice their desire for greater disclosure ... READ MORE

Last week, a coalition of investors who manage more than US$1.6 trillion in assets wrote to 21 major corporations around the world to request enhanced reporting of anti-corruption measures. As George Dallas, Director of Corporate Governance at F&C Management and a signatory to the letter, put it, “As investors, we believe that bribery and corruption are incompatible with good corporate governance and harmful to the creation of value. Therefore, we expect the companies that we ... READ MORE

Each week, Bulletproof Blog™ features exclusive interviews with thought leaders on issues of critical importance to companies and countries. This week, with the enactment of the UK Bribery Act 2010 just days ago, we interview Jonathan Armstrong, a Partner in UK office of Duane Morris LLP, about what is being called the “toughest enforcement standard in the world” when it comes to matters of corruption. Mr. Armstrong counsels multinational companies across Europe on matters of risk ... READ MORE

Since the turn of the Century, it seems that every new year brings yet another watershed moment in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement. In 2008, it was Siemens record-breaking $800 million fine. In 2009, it was the most FCPA actions ever brought by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in a single year. And in 2010, it’s yesterday’s news that a Virginia businessman has received the longest ... READ MORE

In 2009, the number of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions brought by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) outpaced 2008’s figure by more than 20 percent. Given the steady increases in anti-corruption enforcement activity we’ve seen since in the last decade, some in the compliance community may be wondering just where the ceiling is. According to Mark Mendelsohn, the Deputy Chief of the DOJ fraud section’s criminal ... READ MORE

As companies begin to successfully navigate the myriad of reputational challenges inherent in the increasingly global regulatory infrastructure, Bulletproof Blog™ presents the next in a series of video interviews with leading regulatory and compliance strategists at the 2009 Corporate Accountability Conference in Amsterdam. In today’s installment, Bruno Cova, a Partner in the Milan office of the law firm Paul Hastings, discusses the challenges that companies face in an environment of increased enforcement and the value of ... READ MORE

As companies begin to successfully navigate the myriad of reputational challenges inherent in the increasingly global regulatory infrastructure, Bulletproof Blog™ presents the next in a series of video interviews with leading regulatory and compliance strategists. In today’s installment, Sulaksh Shah, a Director in Forensic Services practice, specializing in FCPA matters, outlines the wide range of anti-corruption challenges that companies face in India as well as the Middle East. Mr. Shah grew up in India and has lived ... READ MORE

As companies seek to successfully navigate the myriad reputational challenges presented by an increasingly global regulatory infrastructure, Bulletproof Blog™ presents the next in a series of video interviews with leading regulatory and compliance strategists. In today’s installment, Lucinda Low, who heads the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) practice at Steptoe & Johnson, LLP, discusses how the recent evolution in FCPA investigations and prosecutions has created a newly perilous regulatory environment for companies that operate around the world. ... READ MORE

As companies begin to successfully navigate the myriad of reputational challenges inherent in the increasingly global regulatory infrastructure, Bulletproof Blog™ presents the next in a series of video interviews with leading regulatory and compliance strategists. In today’s installment, Tom McCarthy, Senior Counsel at the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP, discusses the value of buttressing legal strategy with strong crisis management and public relations capabilities when companies come under fire for Foreign ... READ MORE

The Justice Department's latest anti-corruption efforts aimed at business executives who bribe foreign officials make it clear that the DOJ is deadly serious about taking Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations to a new and unprecedented level. In fact, the government is now using undercover agents specifically to strike fear into the hearts of those contemplating an illegal payment and is making it much more difficult for bad actors to argue that it is “business as usual” ... READ MORE