White Collar Crime (CLE)

When a certain company is served with a subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), it indicates that the Commission has obtained sufficient information to get a formal investigation order. It can be harrowing for any business entity to be served with such order as it may have a significant impact on the company’s resources and overall reputation.

Well-developed policies and procedures often provide an advantage in handling complex government investigations. However, with the new legal developments shaping the landscape along with the implementation of remote procedures due to the pandemic, unique challenges and complexities have started to emerge.

The implementation of anti-corruption programs has become more proactive over the past years. Multinational corporations have continued to prioritize investments with strong anti-corruption initiatives. Additionally, jurisdictions have taken significant measures to improve their legislative framework against bribery by requiring businesses to follow internal policies and regulations.

As threats of bribery and corrupt practices rise globally, emerging developments continue to have a major effect on the current legislation landscape. On July 3, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released the second edition of its resource guide for the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

Over the past years, anti-money laundering due diligence and compliance has continuously intensified and remained to be among the ever-evolving challenges for businesses. Furthermore, the rapid developments brought by financial technologies have opened cyber and insider threat vulnerabilities, adding up to the risks that regulators and financial institutions need to address.