“…with the end result being $338 million paid into the United States treasury.” Mike Koehler reports on a cluster of enforcement actions that illustrate how the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act — now with added whistleblowing goodness — is fast turning into a cash cow for Washington, D.C. enforcers [earlier]
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I’m not sure where the problem lies here. This isn’t really F-cubed.
“Nigeria”? Well, it is the •F•CPA, forbidding bribing foreign officials. The conduct might not even be illegal in Nigeria.
“French”? But the company does business in the US. Is there any reason to privilege foreign companies subject to US jurisdiction over US companies? The alternative is some sort of international law prosecution or legalizing the conduct, and I don’t see either as preferable.
“US Treasury”? Maybe this is problematic; I’d be concerned if net inflows minus the cost of prosecution exceeded direct and indirect foreign aid to the victim nation over a ten-year period, but I don’t see evidence of this.
Shouldn’t the amount of money deposited in Swiss bank accounts be part of Ted’s equations?
Bob
Esteemed Friend. You have been refeered to me as a trustworthy soul, so I am coming to you for help. I have come into the possession of USD 338 Millions from the Government of Nigeria as the result of a cluster of enforcement actions …
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Some years ago, a f(r)iend needed to bribe an Indonesian government official to get some sort of governmental action. The official actually offered him a receipt for his bribe.