Five months after Sigal Mandelker, Under Secretary of the US Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, presented five of the hallmarks of an effective sanctions compliance program, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has finally published long-awaited guidance for national and international organizations subject to its regulation (the Framework). OFAC is the organization responsible for administering and enforcing US economic and trade sanctions programs, and its inaugural “Framework for OFAC Compliance Commitments” will likely be incorporated into compliance programs for entities worldwide.
The Framework is the most detailed statement to date of OFAC’s views on sanctions compliance best practices. It articulates guidance on the essential components of a sanctions compliance program and describes how OFAC may evaluate these components in resolving investigations and determining the amount of any penalties. The document also includes a brief root cause analysis of some frequent violations of US economic and trade sanctions laws.
Our new client alert covers the guidelines in more detail here.
This week, the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice released guidelines on cooperation credit in False Claims Act cases. The guidelines strongly emphasize voluntary disclosure, but also provide insight into other actions that could give rise to cooperation credit.
Anti-corruption has been a hot topic in Russia for some time. But recently, the Russian government has begun to take creative approaches in the fight against corruption. These initiatives are aimed at raising public awareness of corruption among the general public. What appears to be missing in this outreach is compliance guidance to companies in Russia. The Russian Anti-Corruption Law outlines a compliance framework but lacks specifics. Guidance to U.S. companies may be able to fill the gap. 
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced 
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Recent rulings conflict on whether police can force individuals to unlock their smartphones. The result depends upon where you are located, with differing rulings from Massachusetts and California. Further, there is an international dimension, illustrated by a recent decision from Israel. In short, as described below, the traveler must beware. 
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) recently announced the creation of a new list of sanctioned parties specific to foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”). The Correspondent Account of Payable-Through Account Sanctions (the “CAPTA List”) identifies FFIs that are prohibited or severely restricted from opening or maintaining a U.S. correspondent account. 
The European Union recently removed the United Arab Emirates from the list of Uncooperative Tax Havens. The UAE achieved this goal after enhancing the substance and transparency of its taxation procedures. Tax analysts believe this action will make the UAE an even more attractive destination for foreign investment in future.