September 6, 2012

By: New York Times Reports Largest FCPA Settlements Have Been With Foreign Firms

The New York Times reports that the more than $3 billion in settlements that the Department of Justice has achieved with companies under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) since the passage of the act in 1977 have been primarily with foreign companies.  The best-known case is that of Siemens, the German global engineering company that paid $800 million to the U.S. and another $800 million to Germany to settle charges that 8 former executives paid $100 million in bribes to Argentine officials to secure a $1 billion contract for Siemens.

Of the top ten settlements, only one company, KBR, the former Kellogg, Brown and Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton, is an American company.  However, The Times also reports that of the 78 companies now under investigation for suspected violations of the FCPA, most are American, including Alcoa, Goldman Sachs, Pfizer and Wal-Mart.

For more information, please see:​
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/business/global/bribery-settlements-under-us-law-are-mostly-with-foreign-countries.html?emc=eta1