The Commonwealth Government has introduced draft legislation into parliament this week to establish the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). The NACC will have broad jurisdiction to investigate serious or systemic corruption across the Commonwealth public sector. This includes the power to investigate ministers, parliamentarians and their staff, statutory office holders, and employees and contractors of government Continue reading

This September quarterly update from the Bribery Prevention Network highlights some important news and upcoming events for the BPN including the release of a new case study on our new and improved Hub, a recap of our Melbourne launch event, and a number of upcoming speaking engagements for the BPN. Read the full update here. Continue reading

Cultural risk factors that must be considered to effectively implement an Anti-Bribery and Corruption (ABC) compliance program include: Culture of integrity, ethics, and compliance: The organisation must establish and communicate messages clearly and consistently to foster a culture of ethics and compliance with the law, and ensure employees understand that bribery and corrupt conduct is Continue reading

On 15 September 2022, the US Department of Justice released additional guidance around its corporate criminal enforcement policies. The guidance reinforced the DOJ’s commitment to corporate criminal enforcement and contains several important takeaways for companies, particularly with respect to the evaluation of compliance programs, including: a continuing focus on individual accountability and expectation that companies Continue reading

The footprint of your company’s operations in perceived high bribery risk locations is an inherent risk factor to consider when documenting your bribery risk assessment.  The overall environment present in each jurisdiction can increase the level of bribery risk.  Some countries are known or perceived to be more corrupt than others, and as a result, Continue reading

Self-reporting is a significant first step in addressing suspected bribery. Self-reporting can help to limit corporate criminal liability and protect your business’ reputation. There can also be requirements to report to regulators, the ASX and other entities. In Australia, the recent foreign bribery case of R v Jacobs Group demonstrates how courts may take a Continue reading