PETROBRAS TO PAY $853.2 MILLION TO SETTLE FCPA VIOLATIONS

 

■ ■ ■  October 8, 2018

 

 

On September 27, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the end of its long corruption probe against Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), a Brazilian state-owned energy company. Petrobras agreed to pay a combined $853.2 million in penalties to resolve an investigation by the DOJ and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for violations to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), as well as an investigation by Brazilian authorities.

 

The corruption scandal was uncovered in 2014, when Brazilian prosecutors announced their investigation, called "Operation Car-Wash," into a corruption scheme involving construction companies, including Odebrecht S.A., which were overbilling Petrobras while paying bribes to high-level Petrobras' executives and to Brazilian politicians. Several high-level executives from Petrobras and the construction companies involved have been arrested by Brazilian authorities. 

 

Since then, U.S. authorities had been working in cooperation with the Brazilian authorities to prosecute Petrobras in the U.S. for violating the FCPA since Petrobras is also a U.S. publicly-traded company. Petrobras faced charges of bribery payments, failure to keep appropriate books and records, and failure to establish adequate internal controls. In its announcement, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said that: "[t]his case is just the most recent example of our ability to work with our foreign counterparts to investigate companies and other criminal actors whose conduct spans multiple international jurisdictions."

 

Petrobras entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the DOJ and the SEC, so once it pays the agreed criminal penalty, the U.S. authorities will not prosecute the company. The DOJ listed various factors in reaching its settlement with the company, including: the fact that Petrobras is a state-owned company, its full remediation after the scheme was uncovered, and its full cooperation with all authorities. Petrobras also agreed to continue cooperating with the DOJ in the prosecution of individuals for related bribery violations, as well as enhancing its compliance program.

 

With record-setting fines being levied in the billions of dollars, coupled with the DOJ and SEC's aggressive enforcement, it is more critical than ever for companies to evaluate their risk of FCPA violations and establish or improve their Anti-Corruption Compliance Programs to mitigate such risks. The attorneys and advisors at MDO Partners have extensive experience advising clients on the FCPA and effective Anti-Corruption Compliance Programs in over 30 countries.

 

About MDO Partners

 

MDO Partners is a boutique law firm that focuses on Corporate, International, and Real Estate Law, as well as Global Compliance and Business Ethics. The firm is comprised of a solid team of attorneys and advisors with more than 100 years of combined experience who are committed to the business goals and best interests of their clients. The firm delivers value-added services of the highest caliber, and serves as a trusted advisor to its clients with a practical and business-savvy approach. For more information on MDO Partners, please visit www.mdopartners.com

 

If you have questions or comments regarding this Alert, please contact the attorney or advisor listed below.

 

Richard Montes de Oca

Managing Partner

305.704.8452

rmontes@mdopartners.com

 

Javier Jaramillio

Compliance Advisor

786.295.6644

jjaramillo@mdopartners.com