New DOJ Policy on Foreign Business Bribery

On the eve of the fortieth anniversary of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Justice Department has unveiled a policy that strongly encourages businesses to self-report any violations to the government on their own.

Those that do can presume that the government won’t prosecute them criminally as long as they fix the problem timely and cooperate fully. That’s probably good for shareholders and boards of directors, among others, but less so for managers, executives, or foot soldiers who get thrown under the bus.

The new policy was announced last week at a conference on the FCPA. It’s been added to the official policy manual for federal prosecutors. It takes most parts of the government’s recent pilot program and makes them permanent.

What does it mean to self-report voluntarily, cooperate fully, and remediate timely? It means a company must report a violation promptly and before the government gets wind of it. Also, it must share everything it knows about anything and anyone involved. Then it must create a sound compliance program based on its size and resources. And it must return all the money or property that’s subject to restitution, forfeiture, or disgorgement.

The government may still prosecute if aggravating factors make the business more culpable. That may happen, for example, if executive management was involved, or the conduct was widespread, or the company made a lot of money from it, or it’s happened before.

But even then, if the business has voluntarily self-reported, fully cooperated, and timely remediated, the government will recommend a criminal fine that’s at least 50% lower than it otherwise might be (unless the business is a repeat offender). Also, if the business has created an effective compliance program, the government likely won’t require the appointment of an outside monitor.

Finally, if a business doesn’t self-report but later cooperates and remediates fully, the government will recommend a fine that’s at least 25% lower than it otherwise might be.