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OFAC sanctions senior member of Hizballah operation
On July 19, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions pursuant to Executive Order 13224 against a senior Hizballah operative allegedly connected to the planning, coordination, and execution of terrorist attacks outside of Lebanon. According to OFAC, the action is part of the Treasury Department’s continued attempts to disrupt “the full range of Hizballah’s illicit financial and facilitation activities.” As a result of the sanctions, “all property and interests in property of this target that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC.” OFAC notes that its regulations “generally prohibit” U.S. persons from participating in transactions with the designated person. The designated individual is also subject to secondary sanctions pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations, which implement the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015, and allow OFAC the authority to “prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transaction for Hizballah, or a person acting on behalf of or at the direction of, or owned or controlled by, Hizballah.”
Hungarian subsidiary of multinational technology company settles FCPA claims
On July 22, the DOJ announced an $8.7 million settlement with the Hungarian subsidiary of an American multinational technology company to resolve allegations of bid-rigging and bribery in violation of the FCPA. The SEC simultaneously announced a related resolution with the parent technology company over the operations of subsidiaries in four countries, with the parent company paying an additional $16.5 million.
According to the DOJ announcement, between 2013 and 2015, executives and employees of the Hungarian subsidiary falsely represented to the parent company that discounts were necessary to finalize deals with resellers to sell company licenses to government customers; however, the savings were allegedly used for “corrupt purposes” in violation of the FCPA. The subsidiary entered into a non-prosecution agreement with DOJ, which noted that while the subsidiary did not voluntarily self-disclose the misconduct, it received credit for the company’s “substantial cooperation with the Department’s investigation and for taking extensive remedial measures.” Specifically, the subsidiary terminated four licensing partners and the company implemented an enhanced compliance system and internal controls to address corruption risks.
Jury acquits former metal industry supplier executives of U.K. SFO bribery charges
On July 16, a London jury acquitted three former metal industry supplier executives who had been charged with foreign bribery by the U.K. Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The SFO reportedly failed to prove that the former executives – a managing director, sales head, and project manager – had paid bribes to secure overseas contracts. The acquittal comes three years after the company entered into the SFO’s second-ever deferred prosecution agreement (DPA). The July 2016 DPA resolved, at a corporate level, some of the same bribery allegations that the executives faced at trial, and resulted in the company paying a £6.5 million fine. The company’s identity in the DPA was not publicly known until restrictions were lifted at the conclusion of the trial.
SEC defends whistleblower award delay in foreign bribery case
On July 11, the SEC responded to a petition asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to compel a whistleblower award determination from the agency. In April 2017, the “John Doe” petitioner had applied for an SEC whistleblower award, claiming that beginning in May 2011 and continuing for the next several years, he voluntarily provided original information to the Commission that led to the SEC and DOJ’s $519 million resolution of foreign bribery claims against a multinational pharmaceutical company (previously reported here). Under the SEC Whistleblower Program established by the Dodd-Frank Act, the petitioner could be eligible for up to 30% of that $519 million recovery. In April 2019, after the SEC still had not issued a preliminary determination in connection with his application, the petitioner sought relief in court. The petitioner argued that it was a “simple task” to evaluate his claim, and the agency’s two-year delay was “unreasonable.”
In its response, the SEC argued that the petitioner “greatly misapprehends the work, effort, and time involved in reviewing whistleblower claims,” “overlooks the substantial complexities involved in adjudicating claims regarding the matter,” and “ignores that the SEC is processing a voluminous number of other whistleblower applications that require the attention of the Commission in addition to his claim.”
For additional information about SEC whistleblower awards and procedures under the SEC Whistleblower Program, see the article published here by Buckley LLP attorneys.
Two businessmen and two former Venezuelan officials charged in bribery investigation
On June 24, two businessmen, Luis Alberto Chacin Haddad and Jesus Ramon Veroes, pleaded guilty in federal court in Miami to conspiracy to violate the FCPA. The charges relate to bribes paid to Venezuelan officials at a state-owned and state-run electricity company in an effort to obtain $60 million in contracts for their Florida-based businesses. Pursuant to their plea agreements, the businessmen will each forfeit at least $5.5 million in profits, as well as Miami-area real estate obtained with the ill-gotten gains. Sentencing is scheduled for September 4.
In addition, on June 27 the Venezuelan officials they allegedly bribed, Luis Alfredo Motta Dominguez (former minister of electrical energy in Venezuela and the head of the company) and Eustiquio Jose Lugo Gomez (former procurement director at the company), were charged by eight-count indictment in the Southern District of Florida. On the same day, the same officials were also sanctioned by OFAC. See related InfoBytes coverage here.
Two Ecuadorians charged with FCPA conspiracy related to oil company investigation
On May 9, pursuant to an indictment filed in federal court in Miami without announcement by DOJ, two Ecuadorian citizens were charged with conspiracy to violate FCPA, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and nine counts of money laundering. The indictment was first reported on July 1 by the Financial Times.
The charges against Armengol Alfonso Cevallos Diaz and Jose Melquiades Cisneros Alarcon, who both live in Florida, relate to the ongoing investigation and prosecution of bribery and money laundering at Ecuador’s state oil company. To date, the investigation has yielded four guilty pleas. One additional defendant has pleaded not guilty; his case is pending.
See prior FCPA Scorecard coverage here.
FinCEN updates list of FATF-identified jurisdictions with AML/CFT deficiencies
On July 12, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an advisory reminding financial institutions that on June 21, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) updated two documents that list jurisdictions identified as having “strategic deficiencies” in their anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regimes. The first document, the FATF Public Statement, identifies two jurisdictions, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Iran, that are subject to countermeasures and/or enhanced due diligence due to their strategic AML/CFT deficiencies. The second document, Improving Global AML/CFT Compliance: On-going Process, identifies the following jurisdictions with strategic AML/CFT deficiencies that have developed an action plan with the FATF to address those deficiencies: the Bahamas, Botswana, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan, Panama, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, and Yemen. Notably, Serbia has been removed from the list and Panama has been added since the last update in March (covered by InfoBytes here). FATF further notes that several jurisdictions have not yet been reviewed, and that it “continues to identify additional jurisdictions, on an ongoing basis, that pose a risk to the international financial system.” Generally, financial institutions should consider both the FATF Public Statement and the Improving Global AML/CFT Compliance: On-going Process documents when reviewing due diligence obligations and risk-based policies, procedures, and practices.
OFAC sanctions Venezuela’s military counterintelligence agency
On July 11, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions, pursuant to Executive Order 13850, against the Government of Venezuela’s General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM) for operating in the country’s defense and security sector. According to OFAC, the DGCIM has been involved in human rights abuses and the “politically motivated” arrest and death of a Venezuelan Navy captain. As a result of the sanctions, all property and interests in property of the sanctioned entity or of other entities “that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more” by the sanctioned entity “that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.” U.S. persons are also generally prohibited from entering into transactions with these entities. Furthermore, OFAC also referred financial institutions to Financial Crimes Enforcement Network advisories FIN-2019-A002, FIN-2017-A006, and FIN-2018-A003 for further information concerning the efforts of Venezuelan government agencies and individuals to use the U.S. financial system and real estate market to launder corrupt proceeds, as well as human rights abuses connected to corrupt foreign political figures and their financial facilitators.
OFAC sanctions Iranian-backed Hizballah officials
On July 9, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions pursuant to Executive Order 13224 against three Iranian-backed Hizballah political and security figures for “exploit[ing] Lebanon’s financial and security elements” in furtherance of Hizballah’s and Iran’s activities in support of terrorists and acts of terrorism. As a result of the sanctions, “all property and interests in property of these targets that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC.” OFAC notes that its regulations “generally prohibit” U.S. persons from participating in transactions with the designated individuals. The designated individuals are also subject to secondary sanctions pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations, which implement the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015, and allow OFAC the authority to “prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transaction for Hizballah, or a person acting on behalf of or at the direction of, or owned or controlled by, Hizballah.”
OFAC sanctions Cuban oil company for facilitating Maduro regime
On July 3, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Cuban state-run oil import and export company for continuing to provide support to the Maduro regime by the importation of oil from Venezuela. The sanctions are pursuant to Executive Order 13850. OFAC alleges that the state-run company has been the recipient of oil from Venezuela and has expanded its operations to include non-traditionally traded oil products. As a result of the sanctions, “all property and interests in property of these individuals, and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by such individuals, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.” OFAC notes that its regulations “generally prohibit” U.S. persons from participating in transactions with these individuals and entities.
Additionally, the announcement notes that OFAC is delisting an oil tanking company in recognition of the company’s actions to ensure that its vessels are not complicit in supporting the Maduro regime. As a result of the delisting, all property and interest of the company is now unblocked and lawful transactions involving U.S. persons are no longer prohibited.