Total SA has agreed to pay $398 million to settle a Department of Justice probe into bribes that it allegedly paid to the tune of $60 million to an Iranian official in order to gain development rights to three oil and gas fields in Iran. The CEO of Total may still face criminal charges...

Panasonic's subsidiary, Panasonic Avionics Corp. which makes in-flight entertainment and communications systems for airlines, is being investigated by U.S. bribery authorities for possible bribes to foreign officials, according to the Wall Street Journal. If the information is corroborated, the bribes would violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, which bars companies from engaging...

As reported yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is under investigation by the Department of Justice and Securities Exchange Commission regarding allegations of bribes paid by a European distributor to foreign government officials. This would violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). As reported, the Chinese bribery allegations against Microsoft were brought to...

Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission prosecutions for foreign bribes under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) have increased significantly each year for the past five years. In addition, the new whistleblower provision under the Dodd Frank act now allows individuals with unique and previously undisclosed information to obtain a percentage...

Several Hollywood Movie studios making films in China have received inquiries from the United States securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department concerning possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, according to the New York Times. According to the paper, virtually every Hollywood company with significant dealings in China had been notified...

Large multi national publicly traded corporations frequently pay foreign officials or their representatives bribes in order to secure business in other nations. Because the companies are publicly traded, they now fall within the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission and The Department of Justice under the newly passed Dodd-Frank Act. In addition the...

According to a whistleblower complaint filed recently in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Siemens ignored red flags indicating that it likely paid bribes to Chinese and North Korean officials in the sale of medical equipment. Meng-Lin Liu a former Siemens compliance officer. The case was filed under...

Authorities in the United States are seeking guilty pleas to criminal charges against The Royal Bank of Scotland in addition to paying a $790 million penalty for manipulation of the Libor, according to The Wall Street Journal. RBS executives are reluctant, fearing that lead clients could stop dealing with the bank and also that...