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Control Chatter

August 2023

News that Control Professionals need to know

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The Internal Control Institute™ (ICI) improves organizational Internal Controls worldwide by providing internationally recognized training, products, services, and individual Professional Certifications. The Institute would like to help more organizations and professionals by expanding further into areas where it is not directly represented. For a list of areas already represented see the end of the newsletter.


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Internal Control Chatter
Each month the staff of The Internal Control Institute reviews hundreds of articles related to Internal Control and Corporate Governance. Here are brief summaries of some of the top articles (along with links to the original article) that may be of interest to you.

3M China Subsidiary Pays $6.5M SEC Settlement

3M fined $6.5M by SEC over China subsidiary's luxury trips to officials. Lessons for global businesses on ethical operations and compliance.

By Kelvin Munene Murithi

coingape.com

In a recent report, 3M Company has agreed to pay over $6.5 million in fines in a settlement with the SEC following claims of breaking the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The alleged illegal actions of a 3M subsidiary in China were central to these claims. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), 3 M’s Chinese arm had a peculiar method to bolster sales. The subsidiary provided overseas travel opportunities to Chinese government officials. 

Read The Article

Adoption of forensic accounting, panacea for corrupt practices — Expert

by Yomi Ayeleso

tribuneonlineng.com

August 18, 2023 


A United States-based forensic expert, Eliezer Olukowade, has advocated the adoption of forensic accounting by the government at all levels and private organisations to address corruption and other financial recklessness in society.

Olukowade said the application of forensic accounting techniques was necessary for tackling the hydra-headed corruption in government ministries, agencies, and private establishments and tracking down those perpetrating criminal activities.

He disclosed that a total of $3.5 trillion has been lost to fraudulent financial reporting, corruption, and asset misappropriation globally due to the inability of the statutory audit system to detect and prevent corrupt practices

Read The Article

Houston oil trader charged in international bribery scheme

Press Release

Monday, August 21, 2023

A 49-year-old Texas man and former employee for Vitol Inc. is set to appear in federal court for allegedly conspiring to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and for allegedly violating the FCPA, the Travel Act and the money laundering statutes in connection with a scheme involving Mexican government officials.  Javier Aguilar is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho in Houston at 2 p.m. today.

The five-count indictment, returned Aug. 3, alleges Aguilar was a former manager and oil trader for Vitol Inc., the U.S. affiliate of the Vitol group of companies which together form one of the largest energy trading firms in the world. The former employee allegedly agreed with others to bribe Mexican officials in order to win business advantages related to contracts with the Mexican government instrumentality, PEMEX Procurement International (PPI). He is also charged with money laundering in connection with the scheme. 

Read The Article

Internal Control Corporate Policy 

Internal Control Corporate Policy was approved by the Board of Directors of Telefónica, S.A. in January 2021. The policy underscores the need for oversight and control by the Board of Directors through the Audit and Control Committee.

telefonica.com

August 22, 2022

This Policy sets out the fundamental criteria of our Internal Control Model, which applies across the entire Telefónica Group. As the parent company, Telefónica, S.A. is responsible for providing the tools and mechanisms for effective coordination with all group companies, while respecting their individual decision-making rights and fiduciary duties to their shareholders.  This Policy also provides guidance on internal control responsibilities within Telefónica’s subsidiaries. When new entities join the Group or when we acquire stakes without gaining control, the relevant departments, supported by Internal Audit, will ensure these entities adhere to this Policy’s requirements, always maintaining confidentiality and ensuring compliance before finalising any investments or participations. 

Read The Article

Why banks worldwide are turning to fingerprint biometrics

By Vito Fabbrizio

https://www.biometricupdate.com/202308/why-banks-worldwide-are-turning-to-fingerprint-biometrics

Aug 21, 2023

Banks and other financial institutions across the globe have been adopting biometrics as a way to improve the customer experience and increase security against identity fraud, such as money laundering or account takeovers. Biometrics are used by banks to onboard customers and authenticate them after onboarding when conducting transactions, such as at ATMs. Biometric authentication can help ensure that transactions are not fraudulent — and are less time-consuming than the traditional ways that banks reach a high level of assurance that the right person is accessing the account. Banks are also using biometrics as an internal control, securing staff access to sensitive data and restricted areas.

Fingerprints are the most common modality of choice for bank biometrics due to their speed, ease of use, high accuracy and cost-effective nature.

Read The Article

BNK in damage control mode following multiple cases of employee malpractice

By Lee Yeon-woo

koreatimes.co.kr

August 2023

BNK Financial Group is eager to restore public trust following multiple cases of illicit activities by a number of its employees. The group has recently been rolling out a series of measures to bolster internal controls at its banking subsidiary.

The group said Sunday that it established a team dedicated to analyzing the internal control activities of BNK Kyongnam Bank. The aim is to overhaul the existing system to prevent similar cases from happening in the future. The team operates directly under the supervision of the bank's CEO.

Read The Article

Audit Firms Must Equip Their Employees to Detect Financial Fraud

By Herbert M. Chain

bloombergtax.com

Aug. 18, 2023

Detecting and responding to financial fraud is a sum of many parts. At an individual auditor level, there are rigorous professional standards, controls, and engagement strategies that aid in the identification of and response to financial statement fraud. However, just as a goalkeeper is only as good as the team around them, the individual auditor is the final touchpoint in a far more complex journey within the audit firm. This culture plays an important part in the firm’s quality management system. The interplay of firm culture and audit quality is addressed in the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s recent findings that audit deficiencies were expected to rise for the second year in a row to 40% in 2022,.

Read The Article

SEC’s New Cybersecurity Rules Have Global Reach

Recently adopted regulations expected to impact hundreds of companies based outside the US

by Jordan Rae Kelly and Adriana Villasenor 

 corporatecomplianceinsights.com

August 22, 2023 

As a result of new cybersecurity rules adopted by the SEC, any public company doing business in the United States will need to assess its cybersecurity stance to make sure it is in compliance. Depending on their cyber maturity, some may already be headed in that direction and simply need to refine their adherence to the previous 2018 rules. Others may need to make significant adjustments or changes to their cybersecurity strategy. The new rules could have a profound impact on risk management programs through material incident reporting and board oversight and accountability requirements.

Read The Article



Below is a list of WorldWide Affiliates currently serving the profession. If your area is not represented please consider partnering with ICI by contacting us today!

ICI World Wide Affiliates


Bangladesh
Contact: Mr Aminur Rahman
Email: info@aaa-associate.com
Tel: +88 01749 400600
Benin
Contact: Soulémane BABA DAMAGUI
Email: sbabadamagui@gmail.com
Tel: +0022997492600

Botswana
Contact: Mr Humphrey Chawafambira
Email: humphrey@internalcontrolinstitute.co.bw
Tel: +267 75618647
Brazil
Contact: Mr Eduardo Person Pardini
Email: eduardo@crossoverbrazil.com
Tel: +55 11 2599 8360
Cameroon
Contact: Mr Eric Kamegne
Email: eric.kamegne@ipeonline.net
Tel: +237 658 292 978
The website of ICI Cameroon is now operational https://icicameroon.org/

Our first CICS session in April is online only
China
Contact: Mr Qiu Jianting
Email: cert@neikong.com
Tel: 400-098-1119 or 010 68004176

Europe

Contact: Mr. Yves Dupont

Email: info@icib.org

Tel: 0032 2 305 35 25


India
Contact: Mr Summit Goyal
Email: info@bncglobal.in
Tel: +91 9810 575 613
Mexico

Contact: Mr Nereo Guzman Mendoza

Email: nguzman@businesssolutionvalley.com

Tel: +52 811 181 3514

Middle East
Contact: Mr Belal Abdul Jabbar
Email: b.ajabbar@osooltc.com
Tel: +962 6 5927171
Morocco
Contact: Mr Yazid Berrada
Email: yazid.berrada@bcloud.ma
Tel: +212 (0) 522-872-585
Nigeria
Contact: Mr Joel Aluko
Email: tunjialuko5@yahoo.com
Pakistan
Contact: Mr Muhammad Farooq Hammodi
Email: nardac_k@yahoo.com
Romania
Contact: Mr Cosmin Serbanescu
Email: contact@incir.ro
Tel: +40 752 525 525
Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia & Taiwan China
Contact: Mr Bob Seetoh
Email: bobseetoh@theglobalgrc.com

South Africa
Contact: Ms Sedie Jane Masite
Email: sediem52@gmail.com or info@ciagol.com
Tunisia
Contact: Ms Nadia Yaich
Email: nadia.yaich@bfc.com.tn
Turkey
Contact: Ms Ilknur Tunc
Email: ilknur.tunc@iciturkey.org
Tel: +90 312 442 50 15
Venezuela
Contact: Mr Jesus Salazar Ras
Email: salazarras1970@gmail.com
Tel: +58 426 737 8096 or + 58 416 291 3788
Vietnam
Contact: Mr Nguyen Thanh Tung
Email: info@fmit.vn
Tel: 848 3803 5020
Zimbabwe
Contact: Dr Proctor Nyemba
Email: admin@internalcontrolinstitute.co.zw
Tel: +263 4 443124

Control Quotes:

“Never regret anything that made you smile.”

Mark Twain.


About ICI
The Internal Control Institute™ (ICI) is a worldwide organization devoted exclusively to internal control and corporate governance. The Institute is dedicated to the development of world-class educational programs and best practice guidelines on internal control and corporate governance, based on the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the COSO internal control framework.
Visit us on the web at the Internal Control Institute
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