The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has published new guidance on corporate co-operation, which is intended to encourage corporates to self-report potential criminal misconduct to the SFO.
The guidance provides that, if a corporate entity self-reports suspected wrongdoing and cooperates fully with an SFO investigation, it can expect to be invited to negotiate a Deferred Prosecution Agreement rather than face prosecution, unless exceptional circumstances apply.
On 20 March 2025, the decree enacting the General Law of Transparency and Access to Public Information, the General Law for the Protection of Personal Data in Possession of Obligated Entities, the Federal Law for the Protection of Personal Data in Possession of Private Parties, and the amendment to Article 37, Section XV, of the Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation.
As of 18 February 2025, the US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is once again authorized to enforce the beneficial owner interest (BOI) reporting provisions of the Corporate Transparency Act . Therefore, beneficial ownership interest report filing by Reporting Companies is once again mandatory with an extended deadline of March 21, 2025, for many companies.
On February 10, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (“Order”) directing a 6-month moratorium on the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), while the Attorney General revises Department of Justice (DOJ) policies and guidelines governing FCPA enforcement. The Order instructs that these changes be made in the interest of promoting US companies’ ability to compete in foreign markets. While the Order introduces uncertainty for the future of FCPA enforcement, companies are advised to stay the course on compliance and exercise caution when considering any shifts in compliance practices and resourcing in the near term.
A recent memorandum from Attorney General Pam Bondi signals a potential shift in the Department of Justice’s FCPA enforcement priorities. According to the memorandum, FCPA enforcement should prioritize foreign bribery linked to Cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs), potentially altering the landscape of white-collar corporate enforcement. While traditional FCPA cases will likely continue, the new directive grants local US Attorneys’ Offices greater latitude in conducting FCPA investigations touching on Cartels and TCOs.
The Corporate Transparency Act requires “reporting companies” to file “beneficial owner” information and “company applicants” with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) as early as 1 January 2025. In a “last minute” 3 December 2024 decision, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Top Cop Shop, Inc., et al. v. Garland, issued an order temporarily enjoining the US government from enforcing the CTA and CTA regulations
Japan has amended the provisions on the crime of bribing foreign public officials under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act (UCPA), effective 1 April 2024, and updated the Guidelines for the Prevention of Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in February 2024.
Key changes to the UCPA include increased fines and longer terms of imprisonment for individuals or corporations who bribe foreign public officials, expanded corporate liability and a longer statute of limitations.
The Home Office published their long-awaited guidance on the new failure to prevent fraud offence on 6 November 2024. The FTPF Offence, introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, allows for large organizations to be held criminally liable where their employees, agents, subsidiaries, or other “associated persons” commit a base fraud offence intending to benefit the organization or its clients, and it is determined the organization failed to implement “reasonable fraud prevention procedures”. All large, incorporated bodies and partnerships are in scope of the FTPF Offence, and it applies both to UK-based organizations and organizations based abroad with a UK nexus. The Government also announced that the FTPF Offence will come into force on 1 September 2025.
On 17 October 2024, president Claudia Sheinbaum and the head of the Secretary of Public Administration announced a new model for preventing and combating corruption with the transformation of the Secretary of Public Administration into the Secretary of Anti-Corruption and Good Government. This new entity will focus on the prevention of corruption by strengthening public management through modernization, transparency and collaboration with different sectors.
This new model proposes moving from a corrective approach to a preventive one, combating corruption from the root.
In keeping with tradition, we are pleased to invite you to our annual Global Year-End Review of Import/Export & Trade Compliance Developments Conference. The conference will provide valuable insights on the latest developments, challenges and opportunities in the ever-changing landscape of international trade.
We are holding this conference in a split-hybrid format, with an in-person event in Santa Clara, CA, on 12 November and virtual panels on 19-21 November.