SEC and Justice Department Release FCPA Guide

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice today released A Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The 120-page guide provides a detailed analysis of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and closely examines the SEC and DOJ approach to FCPA enforcement.

The guide provides helpful information to enterprises of all sizes from small businesses doing their first transactions abroad to multi-national corporations with subsidiaries around the world. The guide addresses a wide variety of topics including who and what is covered by the FCPA's anti-bribery and accounting provisions; the definition of a "foreign official"; what constitute proper and improper gifts, travel, and entertainment expenses; facilitating payments; how successor liability applies in the mergers and acquisitions context; the hallmarks of an effective corporate compliance program; and the different types of civil and criminal resolutions available in the FCPA context. On these and other topics, the guide takes a multi-faceted approach toward setting forth the statute's requirements and providing insights into SEC and DOJ enforcement practices. It uses hypotheticals, examples of enforcement actions and matters that the SEC and DOJ have declined to pursue, and summaries of applicable case law and DOJ opinion releases.

"Investors must have faith that the economic performance of public companies reflects lawful considerations of markets, price, and product rather than a mirage resulting from bribery and corruption," said Robert Khuzami, Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement. "This guide will protect investors by assisting businesses in preventing such unlawful behavior, thus avoiding FCPA violations in the first place, which is in the interest of law enforcement and business alike."

Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said, "The fight against corruption is a law enforcement priority of the United States. Our FCPA enforcement is critical to protecting the integrity of markets for American companies doing business abroad, and we will continue to make clear that bribing foreign officials is not an acceptable shortcut. The guide is an important illustration of our transparency and a useful reference for companies and individuals who wish to act responsibly and in compliance with the law."

The guide is available online at: www.sec.gov/spotlight/fcpa.shtml or www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa