Skip to main content
Menu Icon
Close

InfoBytes Blog

Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

Financial Services Institution Discloses SEC FCPA Investigation into Hiring Practices

Financial Crimes DOJ FCPA Federal Reserve SEC China

Financial Crimes

On February 24, a major financial services institution disclosed in its 10-K that government and regulatory agencies, including the SEC, are conducting investigations concerning potential violations of the FCPA related to hiring of candidates referred by or related to foreign government officials.  The institution stated that it was cooperating with the investigations.

This is not the first FCPA-related investigation of a company’s hiring practices.  As previously reported here in November 2016, a global financial company and a Hong Kong subsidiary agreed to pay approximately $264 million to the DOJ, SEC, and the Federal Reserve, ending a nearly three year, multi-agency investigation of the subsidiary’s referral program through which the children of influential Chinese officials were allegedly given prestigious and lucrative jobs as a quid pro quo to retain and obtain business in Asia.  Similarly, as reported here, in August 2015, the SEC announced a settlement with a multinational financial services company over allegations that the company violated the FCPA by giving internships to family members of government officials working at a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund in hopes of retaining or gaining more business from that fund. The company paid $14.8 million to settle the charges. 

Nor are the inquiries confined to financial services companies.  For example, the SEC announced in March 2016 that it settled charges with the San Diego-based mobile chip maker.  The company agreed to pay a $7.5 million civil penalty to resolve charges that it violated the FCPA by hiring relatives of Chinese government officials and providing things of value to foreign officials and their family members, in an attempt to influence these officials to take actions that would assist the company in obtaining or retaining business in China.