Legal Alert – US Department of Justice Announced Revised Corporate Enforcement Policy Affecting Corruption Sanctions

The US Department of Justice announced a new FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy that will affect companies’ investigations under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). This revised policy confirms and builds on the FCPA Pilot Program that has been in effect since April 2016. It also defines the criteria under which charges against companies can be released from charges or have their penalty charges reduced, if qualified. This requires, however, that companies self-report these violations and cooperate with the authorities. This new policy tries to make self-reporting more attractive and encourage companies to report any misconduct situations to the Department of Justice.