DOJ And SEC Affirm Continued Commitment To Rigorous FCPA Enforcement

At the 26th annual National Conference on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), held November 8 and 9, 2011, officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stressed that both agencies are committed to FCPA enforcement and will continue their aggressive pursuit of companies that violate the FCPA.

DOJ Makes FCPA Enforcement a Top Priority

Associate Attorney General Lanny Breuer declared that the DOJ has "no intention whatsoever of supporting reforms whose aim is to weaken the FCPA and make it a less effective tool for fighting foreign bribery." Breuer's statement was in response to efforts by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Legal Reform to push for amendments to the FCPA that would provide a compliance program defense against FCPA charges, limit successor liability, impose a "willfulness" requirement for corporate criminal liability, and limit a parent corporation's civil liability for acts by a