Latest news with #foreignbribery
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
US team investigating foreign bribery dwindles, sources say
WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department's team dedicated to investigating allegations of foreign bribery has dwindled as President Donald Trump's administration reviews its enforcement of a decades-old law aimed at preventing corruption, according to three people familiar with the matter. The DOJ's Fraud Section unit tasked with enforcing the anti-bribery law has shrunk to about 15 prosecutors, according to two of the sources. That number is down from 32 as of a January report published on the department's website. The cuts follow Trump's executive order in February calling for a pause in enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a 1977 law that prohibits companies that operate in the U.S. from bribing foreign officials and has become a cornerstone of federal efforts to combat corruption. A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment. The DOJ launched a 180-day review of its enforcement of the FCPA following Trump's order, which kicked off an exodus of staff from the unit. Prosecutors largely moved elsewhere in the Justice Department's Criminal Division, including its Healthcare and Marketplace Fraud units, two of the sources said. New guidance on how prosecutors are to handle FCPA cases is being drafted and expected to be released soon, one of the sources said. Attorney General Pam Bondi in February directed foreign bribery prosecutors to prioritize cases related to drug cartels, a Trump administration emphasis that has not traditionally been a focus of the unit. A memo from the Criminal Division last month listed foreign bribery below issues such as fraud in government programs and tariff evasion as corporate enforcement priorities for the Trump administration. The DOJ has been scaling back its enforcement against white-collar crimes and focusing on different types of cases. It has also dropped other initiatives aimed at preventing corruption.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- RNZ News
Serious Fraud Office launches reporting tool
The Serious Fraud Office has launched a new online platform for anonymous reporting of suspected foreign bribery. The reporting tool unveiled as part of a national campaign to raise awareness and to encourage reporting fraud cases. Victor Waters reports. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
NZ launches world first anonymous reporting platform to combat foreign bribery
Photo: Pixabay/shafin_protic The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has today launched a national campaign targeting foreign bribery. The SFO said the capaign aims to raise awareness and encourage reporting with the introduction of a new online platform for anonymous reporting of suspected foreign bribery. Reports will be received by specifically trained staff through a fully encrypted platform. All interactions between reporters and case handlers remain encrypted, with data being stored and safeguarded in European-based data centres. One of the most effective ways to detect these fraud cases is by whistleblowers according to the government department. Speaking at the launch event in Auckland, Police Minister Mark Mitchell, said the reporting tool will give them a better scope of where and how much money is being used in foreign bribery which authorities currently have a lack of data for. "I think the beauty about this tool is that it will start to build out that picture for us as a country, so that we actually start to capture some of the data, we get a feeling for how big the problem might be," Mitchell said. "This is a more sophisticated tool now to be able to use in terms of allowing people to come forward and share that information and give us that information around that. Police Minister Mark Mitchell said the reporting tool will give them a better scope of where and how much money is being used in foreign bribery. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel "I think too that we can't look past the deterrent factor, that if you run a big campaign on this and people become more aware and there's an awareness then that can have a positive impact on behaviour as well." The SFO said the online platform for anonymous reporting was the first of it's kind in the world in dealing with foreign bribery and was modelled from a similar system used by the Commerce Commission. The government department said foreign bribery distorts global markets and can take many forms. The SFO said examples of this include a New Zealand company paying a foreign official for market access, a bribe from an overseas company to a public official here, or kickbacks to a private sector employee by a foreign company. SFO director Karen Chang said one of the most effective ways to detect these cases is by whistleblowers. "Foreign bribery is notoriously difficult to detect, but if left unchecked, it undermines trust, transparency and fair competition. Our national advertising campaign and new reporting platform is a crucial step in making it easier and safer for people to come forward. "We know that anonymous reporting can be difficult in New Zealand's close-knit communities and professional networks." "We also recognise that foreign bribery is not widely understood as a crime type, that's why we are launching a national advertising campaign and investing in a platform that protects identities while allowing secure follow-up with our investigators. "Our message is simple: if you see something, report it. If you're unsure, get in touch anyway. We all have an interest in ensuring that business is conducted ethically and, in a way that enhances New Zealand's reputation as an attractive place to invest," said the SFO director. Karen Chang said the new campaign has taken onboard aspects from an OECD report last year which was critical about the lack of foreign bribery prosecutions and there not being a safe space for whistleblowers to report fraud. "This does build upon the OECD report, stepping up the visibility and public awareness. "But it also builds on the work that we've already been doing in this sphere and also in relation to our Pacific nations of the 15 languages. "A number of them are Pacific languages, such as Tongan, Samoan, Fijian, Cook Islands Maori, and Hindi, and French as well, so we are alive to that and hoping that we can really raise the profile and recognition and bring those complaints in," she said.
