Welcome to the December 2016 edition of our corporate crime update - our round up of developments in relation to corruption, money laundering, fraud, sanctions and related matters. Our update covers a number of jurisdictions summarised below. Click read more for the full article of each jursidiction.
UNITED KINGDOM/ EUROPE
- SFO closes Soma Oil investigation
- FCA Quarterly Consultation No. 15
- MLD V – presidency compromise
- FCA fines and partially bans former investment manager
- FCA speeches at the Financial Crime Conference
- FCA updated Financial Crime Report template
- HMRC Panama Taskforce launches criminal and civil investigations
- David Dixon ordered to pay confiscation
- ECON draft report on the proposal for a directive amending MLD IV
- ESC Fifteenth report of session 2016-17
- FATF guidance on correspondent banking
- FATF guidance on criminalising terrorist financing
FRANCE
- Final passage of the new French anti-corruption law, "Sapin II"
GERMANY
- European Account Preservation Order – A uniform European procedure for the freezing of bank accounts in cross-border cases
- Impressions from our first CC&I annual conference in Frankfurt
MIDDLE EAST
- Kuwait executive and legislative authorities criticised for wastage of public funds and corruption in the overseas health treatment sector
- 46 Companies in the UAE defrauded
- 2012 Olympics and IAAF vice president, Sebastian Coe, cleared after enquiry into Qatari bribes rumours
HONG KONG
- Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang faces additional bribery charge
- Hong Kong money laundering and terrorism financing reports peak
- Managing cross-border investigations involving China and Hong Kong
CHINA, SOUTH EAST ASIA & INDIA
China
- Former senior regulatory official of CSRC admitted guilt for taking bribes
- Former deputy environment minister sentenced to 4-year imprisonment for taking bribes
- Former provincial head in charge of Land & Resources sentenced to life imprisonment for taking bribes
- Recent development from the top for fighting corruption within the Party
- First few cases of mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole or reduction for bribe takers
- Wanda dismisses executives for bribing government official in deals
- Ethical Violations Uncovered in Big Chinese Internet Companies
South Korea
- Family Members of Retail Giant Lotte Indicted for Corruption
Singapore
- MAS closes Falcon Bank in Singapore
- Former employees charged with corruption
India
- India bans 500 and 1,000 Rupee notes
- India continues investigation into allegations of kickbacks made by Embraer in 2008 aircraft deal
- India to rate government agencies' reputation on integrity
Indonesia
- KPK cooperating with international agencies to find former Lippo executive
- Amendment to Law No. 11 of 2008 on Electronic Information and Transaction
Malaysia
- Malaysian MP receives prison sentence for disclosing 1MDB documents
Philippines
- Professional Regulation Commission officials charged for graft over lease agreement
Laos
- Four football players under investigation for match manipulation
Taiwan
- Legislator sentenced to four and a half years in jail over corruption case
Vietnam
- Draft Anti-Corruption Law revealed
- All Vietnamese entities under Ministry of Industry and Trade required to disclose income
JAPAN
- Sony subsidiary hit by ¥900 million fraud
- Foreign institutional investors sue Toshiba for damages in the Tokyo District Court
AUSTRALIA
- Australian government releases draft of Open Government National Action Plan
- Greater powers for AUSTRAC as review of AML/CTF laws commences; feasibility study into making AUSTRAC the primary sanctions regulator
- Start-ups can now seek advice on AML/CTF direct from AUSTRAC
- HSF Business Ethics and Anti-Bribery Policy Survey
- Senate Economics Committee to continue inquiries into foreign bribery and white collar crime legislation amendments
- Australia and China agree to share financial crime intelligence
UNITED STATES
I. Recent FCPA developments
- Embraer fined for FCPA violations
- Pharmaceutical companies settle with SEC for FCPA issues
- DOJ furthers the FCPA Pilot Program with "declination with disgorgement" enforcement actions
- SEC fines Nu Skin for FCPA issues arising from charitable donation in China
- SEC fines former executive of Harris but declines to charge against the company
II. Other corporate criminal and enforcement actions
- Hospital chain fined for fraud and kickbacks
- Omnicare agrees to settle kickback allegations
III. Sanctions update
- DOJ issues guidance on sanctions and export controls violations of business organizations
- OFAC issues interpretive guidance on the publishing general license
- District Court decides that foreign citizens can be charged for violations of US sanctions laws
IV. Money laundering
- Cantor Fitzgerald fined for engaging in illegal gambling and money laundering regime
V. Cybersecurity
- FinCEN issues advisory to financial institutions on cyber security