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internationallawsection.org                                                            Monday, January 9, 2017
The International Law Section Gazette
Section News
iLaw 2017: the ILS Global Forum on International Law
ILS logo
The ILAT,  which for over a decade has  been Miami's leading international law conference, is now "iLaw2017: The ILS Global Forum on International Law" .
 
iLaw will feature a rich program with interesting presentations on cutting-edge issues in international law. This year, iLaw2017 is joining forces with the International Centre of Dispute Resolution and featuring the new ICDR arbitration track. 

Be sure to take advantage of early bird rates! Download the program brochure and turn in your registration form by January 23. You should book your room by January 25.



iLaw2017 Hotel Reservations

Discounted hotel rooms at the Conrad Hotel are now available for the iLaw2017! The Conrad Hotel has set up a webpage exclusively for the iLaw2017:  https://aws.passkey.com/go/iLaw2017 . Access this website to make your reservations for the new iLaw2017!
Attendees can also call 1-800-CONRADS to secure guest room accommodations by phone. The iLaw2017's program brochure, including registration information will be available shortly.

Florida Bar Committee Appointments for 2017-18: APPLY NOW!

Please consider applying for appointment to a The Florida Bar committee to contribute to the betterment of our profession through your volunteer service. Bar Committee work is meaningful and rewarding, and will give you the opportunity to improve the services we provide to the citizens of our state and to our members. You're asked to submit only one form, but you have three committee options.
 
Here's what you need to do:

BY JANUARY 13, 2017 - PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING:

If you are currently serving on a Standing Committee and your term expires in 2017, you must submit the committee preference form by January 13, 2017 to be considered for reappointment. 
To check your term on a committee, please click here and select your committee.

If you are not currently serving on a Standing Committee, and want to be considered, submit the committee preference form by January 13, 2017. Your comments concerning your participation in Bar-related activities, your qualifications and interests will be particularly helpful.

If you are serving on a substantive law committee and want to continue, you must submit the committee preference form by January 13, 2017, to be considered for reappointment.
  
 
If you need additional information, please watch this short video or visit www.floridabar.org for a link under What's New.


Call for Readers for Vis East Moot

The Fourteenth Annual Willem C. Vis East International Arbitration Moot is currently seeking readers to review Claimant and Respondent Memoranda submitted by competing teams. The Moot, which will take place in Hong Kong starting March 26, 2017, has more than 130 teams registered, which the highest number in its history. Readers will be receive 4-6 Claimants' Memoranda on or before December 20, 2016 and 4-6 Respondents' Memoranda on or before January 30, 2017.  Readers will have nearly three weeks to review and rank each set of Memoranda. Volunteers may also register to rank final Claimant/Respondent Memoranda. To volunteer, please follow this link and select the appropriate boxes (cannot attend but will evaluate written memoranda). 


ILS Miami Vis Pre-Moot Competition

The 2017 Florida Bar ILS Miami Vis Pre-Moot Competition will be held on Saturday, February 18, 2017 and will take place at JAMS Miami Resolution Center, 600 Brickell Avenue, Suite 2600, Miami FL 33131. CLE credit will be available to volunteer arbitrators.  If you are interested in becoming a volunteer arbitrator or have a team to register, please contact Averil Andrews at aandrews@santinilawfirm.com .


Call for panel proposals for the ABA Section of International Law's Fall Conference in Miami

The  ABA Section of International Law is calling for  panel proposals for its 2017 Fall Conference , which will take place on  October 24-28, 2017 , at the JW Marriott Marquis in Miami, Florida.  All panel proposals should focus on the meeting's theme: " Doing Business in the Americas in the New Global Economy: A New Dawn in the Hemisphere? " Please relate your program proposals to the following: 
 
Recent elections and transitions in countries such as the United States, Argentina, Brazil and Peru promise to bring change across the hemisphere.    In the United States, for example, renegotiation or exit from free trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreements were the subject of the campaign by both parties.  Beyond trade, globalization and the rising populist calls affect all aspects of cross border practice, from litigation and arbitration, rising consumer class actions, immigration, and transactional and regulatory work.  While the United States may be shifting course towards increased protectionism, countries in Latin America, such as Argentina, Brazil and Peru, are rolling back the same policies and seeking to encourage foreign investment.  At the same time, regional developments continue to fundamentally alter the economic and political landscape of the region, including, for example, Operation Car Wash in Brazil, the development of UNASUR, and rejection and renegotiation of a peace deal in Colombia.    What do these developments mean for lawyers practicing law in the Americas from Alaska to Argentina across all disciplines? How are lawyers from outside the Hemisphere affected? The Conference will explore these questions from the perspective of multiple practice areas and regions.
 
For programming ideas centered on dispute resolution, please contact Ed Mullins (emullins@astidavis.com). The ABA also has expressed a strong preference for panel ideas that discuss transaction-oriented issues.  

For further details or questions, you may contact the ABA Section of International Law's 2017 Fall Meeting Co-Chair, Cristina Cardenas, at  ccardenas@astidavis.com .

The deadline to submit program proposals is January 11, 2017 Proposals shall be submitted to Ed Mullins (emullins@astidavis.com) .


Upcoming Events

January 23-27, 2017
Join nearly 5,000 members of the New York State Bar Association from around the state and beyond at the Annual Meeting, sharing insights and experiences. Take advantage of the excellent schedule of events presented by the Association's sections and committees, network at the member receptions and make connections with the exciting array of exhibitors.  Book your hotel room  here  by January 4. The room rate is $260/night, plus taxes and applicable fees. You may also reserve rooms directly with the New York Hilton Midtown at 1-800-HILTONS and mention the NYSBA Annual Meeting or provide group code NYSB. Click here to learn more.

As part of the program, ILS' sister organization, the International Section of the New York State Bar Association, will  present the annual Award for Distinction in International Law and Affairs and hold a panel titled  Globalism versus Territorialism, exploring  new issues and anticipated ripple effects in a number of areas, including international trade, cross-border insolvency and governmental relations in the aftermath of the Brexit vote in the UK and the recent Presidential election in the U.S.

February 14-15, 2017
The Florida Chamber of Commerce will host its International Days - Florida's leading conference convening top international trade and industry experts. Click here for more information and to register for the event.

February 17, 2017
The iLaw2017, the ILS Global Forum on International Law, newly rebranded from the former "ILAT", will be held on February 17, 2017 at the Conrad Hotel in Miami. The iLaw2017 will include the International Center for Dispute Resolution's (ICDR) Arbitration Track. The Program Brochure will be out shortly, but in the meantime, Save the Date!

February 18, 2017
The  2017 Florida Bar ILS Miami Vis Pre-Moot Competition  will be held on Saturday, February 18, 2017  and will take place at  JAMS Miami Resolution Center, 600 Brickell Avenue , Suite 2600, Miami FL 33131. CLE credit will be available to volunteer arbitrators.  If you are interested in becoming a volunteer arbitrator or have a team to register, please contact  Averil Andrews     at   aandrews@santinilawfirm.com .

March 9, 2017
International Forum of Travel and Tourism Advocates of North America annual meeting will be taking place in Fort Lauderdale March 9 th and 10th  2017. CLE is normally awarded for 8 hours. For further information, visit the event website or contact Laurence D. Gore  goreinternationallaw@gmail.com

From Our Members

FCPA Update - DOJ And SEC Continue
Aggressive Enforcement & Significant Fines

By: Richard Montes De Oca*

In the last four months of 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) have demonstrated their seriousness about combating corruption through aggressive enforcement and significant fines under settlements in high-profile cases under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), many of which are summarized in this Alert, including:
  • TEVA Pharmaceutical Settles FCPA Charges for $519 Million
  • Odebrecht and Braskem Fined $3.5 Billion for Bribery
  • JP Morgan Resolves Hiring-Related FCPA Violations for $264 Million
  • Embraer Settles Multiple Bribery Violations for $206 Million
  • GlaxoSmithKline Enters Cease-Desist Order and Pays $20 Million for FCPA Violations
  • Hedge Fund Settles $412 Million Fine for FCPA Violations
  • DOJ Issues Declinations for HMT and NCH under Pilot Program
  • InBev Settles FCPA Violations and Whistleblower Retaliation for $6 Million
  • Nu Skin Settles FCPA Violations for Charitable Donations in China
TEVA Pharmaceutical Settles FCPA Charges for $519 Million
On December 22, 2016, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited agreed to pay more than $519 million to settle civil and criminal charges that it violated the FCPA by making influential payments to government officials in order to increase its market share and obtain regulatory and formulary approvals, favorable drug purchase and prescription decisions in Russia, Ukraine, and Mexico. The SEC alleged that Teva "failed to devise and maintain proper internal accounting controls to prevent the company's payments of bribes to win business."  Teva allegedly concealed the bribes as legitimate payments to distributors. Eric I. Bustillo, Director of the SEC's Miami Regional Office noted that "while distributors can help companies navigate complex regulatory environments and provide valuable industry relationship, they also can create significant corruption risks for companies." Under the deferred prosecution agreement Teva must retain an independent corporate monitor for at least three years.
 
Odebrecht and Braskem Fined $3.5 Billion in Bribery Fines
On December 21, 2016, two major Brazilian companies were fined $3.5 billion in connection with bribery charges levied in the United States, Brazil, and Switzerland against Odebrecht, a global construction company, and Braskem, a Brazilian petrochemical firm. Officials say that the combined penalties may reach $4.5 billion, making this the largest foreign bribery case ever. The companies methodically paid about $788 million to government officials involving more than 100 projects in twelve countries through its Division of Structured Operations, which "effectively functioned as a bribe department within Odebrecht and its related entities," according to the DOJ.  When foreign officials receive bribes, they threaten our national security and the international free market system in which we trade," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge William Sweeney. "Just because they're out of our sight, doesn't mean they're beyond our reach."
 
JP Morgan Resolves Hiring-Related FCPA Violations for $264 Million
On November 17, 2016, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its Hong Kong-based subsidiary agreed to pay a total of more than $264 million to resolve violations of the anti-bribery, books and records, and internal controls provisions of the FCPA. From 2006 until 2013, JPMorgan had provided over 200 valuable jobs and internships to relatives and friends of executives of its clients, prospective clients, and government officials in the Asia-Pacific Region. These jobs and internships were given in order to obtain or retain investment banking business or other benefits for the company. Although many of JPMorgan's clients are not government entities, many are state-owned entities, and therefore, the executives were considered government officials under the FCPA. The SEC stated that employees knew that this hiring practice was illegal, but withheld key information so that the prospective employees and interns would pass compliance review. The SEC stated "JPMorgan failed to devise and maintain a system of internal accounting controls around its hiring practices." The SEC considered JPMorgan's significant remediation efforts, including the enhancement of its global anti-corruption compliance program, when determining to accept the settlement offer.
 
Embraer Settles Multiple Bribery Violations for $206 Million
On October 24, 2016, Embraer reached settlements and agreed to pay $206 Million in fines with the DOJ, the SEC and Brazilian authorities in connection with schemes involving the bribery of government officials in the Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia and Mozambique, and to pay millions more in falsely recorded payments in India via a sham agency agreement. Embraer entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) to resolve the case with the DOJ.  As part of the DPA, Embraer admitted to its involvement in a conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions and to its willful failure to implement an adequate system of internal accounting controls. Embraer agreed to pay a criminal penalty; continue to cooperate with the department's investigation; enhance its compliance program; implement a more adequate system of internal accounting controls; and retain an independent corporate compliance monitor for a term of three years. Embraer also reached a settlement with the SEC. With the cooperation of U.S. authorities, Brazilian authorities have charged 11 individuals for their alleged involvement in Embraer's misconduct.  Saudi Arabian authorities have charged two individuals for their alleged involvement in Embraer's misconduct. 
 
GlaxoSmithKline Enters Cease-Desist Order and Pays $20 Million for FCPA Violations
On September 30,2016, GloxoSmithKline, a U.K. pharmaceutical company (GSK), entered into a Cease-Desist order to settle alleged internal controls and books and records violations of the FCPA related to its China-based subsidiary and China-based joint venture.  GSK did not admit or deny the SEC findings that employees and agents of its subsidiary and joint venture provided various things of value, such as gifts, travel, and entertainment, to Chinese healthcare professionals. The SEC stated that in addition to GSK paying a $20 million civil penalty, GSK will provide periodic reports to the SEC for a two-year term, regarding the "status of its remediation and implementation of compliance measures."
 
Hedge Fund Settles $412 Million Dollar Fine for FCPA Violations
On September 29, 2016, Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, a New York based hedge fund, agreed to pay the DOJ and SEC a total of $412 million to settle civil and criminal FCPA violations related to bribes paid to officials in several African countries. The settlement also requires Och-Ziff to retain a compliance monitor for three years.  Och-Ziff's Founder and CEO, Daniel Och and Chief Financial Officer, Joel Frank, also settled related SEC administrative proceedings, including payment of almost $2.2 million, for findings that they contributed to the FCPA violations by ignoring risks, and inaccurately recording the bribes. In order to strengthen its anti-corruption program and controls, the company stated that it has made "a substantial investment to enhance its compliance personnel and infrastructure." 

DOJ Issues Declinations for HMT and NCH under Pilot Program
On September 29, 2016, the DOJ published two declinations (Letters) under the FCPA Pilot Program for violations of the FCPA in favor of (i) HMT LLC, a company that manufactures, supplies, and services aboveground liquid storage tanks for the petroleum, oil, and gas industries, and (ii) NCH Corporation, an industrial supply and maintenance company. The DOJ investigations found that HMT, through its employees and agents paid bribes to Venezuelan and Chinese government officials to influence their decisions regarding current and future purchasing and thereby securing over $2 million in net profits.  The DOJ found that NCH's Chinese subsidiary illegally provided things of value to Chinese government officials in order to influence the officials' purchasing decisions.
 
The Letters described some of the factors that the DOJ based its decision to close each investigation. Although the Companies' disgorgement was relative to the profits made by each HMT and NCH, the factors related to the DOJ's decision were similar and included: (1) timely, voluntary self-disclosure of the matters described above; (2) thorough and comprehensive global investigation of the matter; (3) full cooperation in this matter (including its provision of all known relevant facts about the individuals involved in or responsible for the misconduct) and its agreement to continue to cooperate in any ongoing investigations of individuals; (4) agreement to disgorge to the Department all profits it made from the illegal conduct; (5) steps taken and continues to take to enhance its compliance program and its internal accounting controls; and (6) full remediation.
 
InBev Settles FCPA Violations and Whistleblower Retaliation for $6 Million
On September 28, 2016, the SEC announced a $6 million settlement with Belgium-based brewing company, Anheuser-Busch InBev (InBev), for violations of the FCPA books and records and internal controls provisions.  The SEC determined that InBev's Indian joint venture made improper payments to government officials through third-party sales promoters to obtain beer orders and increase brewery hours. When an employee of InBev's subsidiary, internally raised concerns of payments made to such promoters, the employee was terminated. Further, the separation agreement prohibited the whistleblower from reporting the illegal conduct.  According to the SEC, InBev "recorded improper payments by its sales promoters in India as legitimate expenses in its financial accounting, and then exacerbated the problem by including language in a separation agreement that chilled an employee from communicating with the SEC." As part of its settlement, InBev amended its standard separation agreement allowing separated employees to report possible violations to government agencies without informing the company.
 
Nu Skin Settles FCPA Violations for Charitable Donations in China
On September 20, 2016, Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. was found by the SEC to have violated the books and records provision and internal control provisions of the FCPA. Nu Skin's Chinese subsidiary made a charitable donation in exchange for an official's influence and a favorable outcome in an investigation by a Chinese government agency. Although the Chinese subsidiary disclosed the contribution to Nu Skin, it failed to disclose the connection of the donation to the investigation.  The SEC concluded that: "Nu Skin U.S. did not ensure that adequate due diligence was conducted by Nu Skin China with respect to charitable donations to identify links to government or political party officials to prevent payments intended to improperly influence such persons in violations of the company's anticorruption policy and the FCPA." Ultimately, Nu Skin settled with the SEC for $765,000.
 
With record-setting fines being levied in the billions of dollars, coupled with the DOJ and SEC's increased resources and aggressive enforcement, it is more critical than ever for companies to establish and assess Anti-Corruption Compliance Programs to mitigate the risks of FCPA violations. MDO Partners encourages companies to evaluate whether they have any FCPA violations and consider whether participating in the FCPA Pilot Program is advisable. Our attorneys and advisors have extensive experience advising clients on the FCPA and effective Anti-Corruption Compliance Programs in over 30 countries, including Latin America.

* Richard Montes de Oca is the founder and Managing Partner of MDO Partners, a boutique law firm focusing on Corporate, Real Estate and Immigration Law as well as Global Compliance and Business Ethics.

Fall 2016 ILQ
International Law Quarterly (ILQ)
The Fall 2016 ILQ - Special Cuba Edition is now available to view and download here.



If you are interested in submitting an article in the next ILQ or have questions, please contact Rafael Ribeiro: rafael.ribeiro@hoganlovells.com.

Visit our Sponsors                                             
ILS thanks its sponsors for the 2015-2016 cycle
 
Global
Hemispheric
Regional
  • Aballi Milne Kalil, P.A.
  • Astigarraga Davis 
  • Centro de Arbitragem e Mediação-Câmara de Comércio Brasil-Canadá (CAM/CCBC)
  • Hogan Lovells
  • Lex International
  • Akerman
  • Bilzin Sumberg
  • Greenberg Traurig
  • White & Case
  • Bryan Cave
  • Coffey Burlington
  • Fowler White Burnett
  • MDO Partners
  • Harper Meyer
  • Kobre & Kim LLP 
  • Stokes McMillan Antunez
  • Tenzer PLLC
  • Wilberforce

In light of what we accomplished this past year, we hope you will continue to support the Section as a sponsor. In 2016-2017, various firms, companies and suppliers sponsored the Section. We look forward to another year of innovative programs where we can advance international law and further promote our sponsors.  Contact Elizabeth Ortega at  eco@ecostrats.com   for more details.

  Become a Sponsor  for the 2017-2018 Cycle
The ILS Gazette

Editor: Fabio Giallanza

Chair: Alvin F. Lindsay, III
Immediate Past Chair: Eduardo Palmer
Chair-Elect: Arnoldo B. Lacayo
Secretary: Carlos F. Osorio
Treasurer: Clarissa Rodriguez