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Corruption and controlling shareholders

  • Kevin E. Davis und Mariana Pargendler
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 10. Juli 2024
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Abstract

Controlling shareholders have been directly involved in some of the largest and most consequential bribery scandals in the world over the course of the last decade. Nevertheless, the academic literature and the dominant international model of anticorruption law have neglected the dynamics and implications of controlling shareholder involvement in the payment of bribes. We argue that controlling shareholders, especially in family-controlled firms, may be uniquely positioned to lead corrupt schemes. We then analyze the incidence of this phenomenon in recent U.S. enforcement actions under the FCPA and in Brazilian enforcement actions under the Car Wash (Lava Jato) anticorruption operation. Controlled companies account for a minority of the FCPA cases, but for a large majority of the Brazilian cases. Controlling shareholders were implicated in a significant portion of actions against controlled companies in both contexts. We argue that the dominant international model, which is premised on organizational liability and incentives for compliance programs, is ill-suited to addressing cases of bribery led by controlling shareholders, and call for a distinct array of legal responses.


* Beller Family Professor of Business Law, New York University School of Law.

** Full Professor of Law, Fundação Getulio Vargas Law School in São Paulo (FGV Direito SP); Global Professor of Law, New York University School of Law. We are grateful to Jennifer Arlen, Caio Mario da Silva Pereira Neto, Raquel Pimenta, Caio Farah Rodriguez, Raquel Salcon, Maria Eugênia Trombini, Dalila Viol, Roy Shapira, and participants in the Conference on Controlling Shareholders and Control-Enhancing Mechanisms at Tel Aviv University and in the Duke Compliance Roundtable for helpful comments and discussions. Thanks to Beatriz Brichucka, Olivia Natale, André Schwartz, Dalila Viol, and Lucas Víspico for excellent research assistance.


Appendix

Table A1

US FCPA Enforcement Actions

Case CS Structure CS-led?
In the Matter of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGa CS Foundation
In the Matter of Mobile Telesystems PJSC CS Institutional
United States of America v. Cyrus Allen Ahsani and Saman Ahsani CS Individual/Family Y
United States of America v. Frank James Lyon CS Individual/Family Y
In the Matter of Polycom, Inc. NCS
In the Matter of Panasonic Corporation NCS
In the Matter of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras CS State
United States of America v. Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile CS Institutional
In the Matter of Joohyun Bahn, a/k/a Dennis Bahn NCS
In Re Legg Mason, Inc. NCS
In Re: Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited NCS
United States of America v. Raul Gorrin Belisario, et al. NCS
In the Matter of Credit Suisse Group AG NCS
United States of America v. Egbert Yvan Ferdinand Koolman NCS
United States of America v. Transport Logistics International, Inc. NCS
United States of America v. Embraer S.A. NCS
United States of America v. SBM Offshore N.V. CS Institutional
United States of America v. Rolls-Royce PLC NCS
In the Matter of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC, OZ Management LP, Daniel S. Och, and Joel M. Frank CS Individual/Family
In the Matter of Telia Company AB CS State
In Re Las Vegas Sands Corp. CS Individual/Family
In the Matter of Biomet, Inc. NCS
United States of America v. Charles Hunter Hobson NCS
United States of America v. Glencore International A.G. NCS
United States of America v. Alvaro Pulido Vargas, et al. NCS
United States of America v. Naman Wakil CS Individual/Family Y
United States of America v. Ivan Alexis Guedez NCS
United States of America v. Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Testino NCS
United States of America v. Matthias Krull NCS
United States of America v. Francisco Convit Guruceaga, et al. NCS
United States of America v. Juan Carlos Castillo Rincon NCS
United States of America v. Fernando Ardila-Rueda NCS
United States of America v. Luis Carlos de Leon-Perez, et al. NCS
United States of America v. Jose Orlando Camacho NCS
United States of America v. Juan Jose Hernandez-Comerma NCS
United States of America v. Charles Quintard Beech III CS Individual/Family Y
United States of America v. Natalino D’Amato NCS
United States of America v. Jose Luis de Jongh-Atensio NCS
United States of America v. Leonardo Santilli NCS
United States of America v. Carlos Enrique Urbano Fermin NCS
United States of America v. Tulio Anibal Farias-Perez NCS
United States of America v. Lennys Rangel NCS
United States of America v. Edoardo Orsoni NCS
United States of America v. Rafael E. Pinto-Franceschi, et al. NCS
In the Matter of Amec Foster Wheeler Limited NCS
United States of America v. Arturo Carlos Murillo Prijic NCS
United States of America v. Luis Alvarez Villamar CS Individual/Family Y
In the Matter of Deutsche Bank AG NCS
United States of America v. Sargeant Marine Inc. CS Individual/Family Y
United States of America v. Vitol Inc. CS
In re the Matter of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. NCS
United States of America v. Beam Suntory Inc. NCS
In the Matter of J&F Investimentos, S.A., et al. CS Individual/Family Y
United States of America v. Jose Carlos Grubisch CS Individual/Family Y
In the Matter of Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. NCS
United States of America v. Raymond Kohut NCS
United States of America v. Margaret Cole, et al. NCS
United States of America v. Vitol Inc. NCS
In the Matter of Novartis AG NCS
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson NCS
In the Matter of WPP plc NCS
United States of America v. Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. NCS
In the Matter of Barclays PLC NCS
In the Matter of Westport Fuel Systems, Inc. and Nancy Gougarty NCS
In the Matter of Quad/Graphics, Inc. CS Institutional
In the Matter of Juniper Networks, Inc. NCS
In the Matter of Deutsche Bank AG NCS
In the Matter of Telefonica Brasil S.A. NCS
United States of America v. Naeem Riaz Tyab, et al. NCS
In the Matter of Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A. CS State
United States of America v. Deck Won Kang CS Individual/Family Y
In the Matter of Vantage Drilling International CS Individual/Family Y
In the Matter of Stryker Corporation NCS
In the Matter of United Technologies Corporation NCS
In the Matter of Sanofi NCS
In the Matter of The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation NCS
In the Matter of Kinross Gold Corporation NCS
In the Matter of Elbit Imaging Ltd. CS Individual/Family Y
United States of America v. Chi Ping Patrick Ho, et al. CS State
In the Matter of Alere Inc. NCS
United States of America v. Joseph Baptiste and Roger Richard Boncy NCS
United States of America v. Cary Yan and Gina Zhou NCS
In the Matter of Halliburton Company and Jeannot Lorenz NCS
In Re: CDM Smith, Inc. NCS
In Re: Linde North America Inc. and Linde Gas North America LLC NCS
In the Matter of Orthofix International N.V. NCS
In the Matter of Cadbury Limited and Mondelez International, Inc. NCS
In the Matter of World Acceptance Corporation CS Institutional
In the Matter of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. NCS
In the Matter of Eni S.p.A. NCS
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Asante K. Berko NCS
In the Matter of Cardinal Health, Inc. NCS
United States of America v. Airbus SE NCS
In the Matter of Credit Suisse Group AG NCS
United States of America v. Roberto Heinert NCS
In the Matter of TechnipFMC plc. CS Institutional
In the Matter of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation NCS
In the Matter of Microsoft Corporation NCS
United States of America v. Alstom S.A. NCS
United States of America v. Luis Alfredo Motta Dominguez and Eustiqiuo Jose Lugo Gomez NCS
In Re Walmart Inc. CS Individual/Family

Table A2

US FCPA enforcement actions involving CS-led bribery

Case Target of enforcement action
Controlling shareholder Company Other individuals
Criminal Civil Criminal Civil Criminal Civil
Cyrus Allen Ahsani et al
Charles Quintard Beech III
Elbit Imaging Ltd.
Jose Carlos Grubisich
J&F Investimentos, S.A
Frank James Lyon
Deck Won Kang
Jorge Cherrez Miño et al
Sargeant Marine Inc.
Vantage Drilling International
Naman Wakil

Table A3

Ownership structure and type of corruption of companies involved in Car Wash operation

Companies Source CS or NCS Structure CS-led?
A.Hak Industrial Services B.V Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family No
Aegean Shipping Management Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family No
Alumini Engenharia S.A./ Alusa Engenharia S.A. Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
Andrade Gutierrez Engenharia S.A. Leniency Agreement and Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family No
Athenian Sea Carriers Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual Yes
Braskem S.A Leniency Agreement and Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
Carioca Christiani Nielsen Engenharia S.A. Leniency Agreement and Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
Companie Beninoise des Hydrocarbures Sarl (CBH) Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual Yes
Construcap Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
Decal do Brasil (Decal Group) Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual Yes
Dorian (Hellas) Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual No
EISA – Estaleiro Ilha S.A. (Dislub Equador Group) Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
Empresa Industrial Técnica S/A Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual Yes
Equador Log S.A. (Grupo Dislub Equador) Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
Galvão Engenharia S.A Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
GDK S.A. Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual Yes
Grupo SOG – Toyo Setal Empreendimentos Ltda. Leniency Agreement and Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual Yes
Grupo Trafigura Criminal Prosecution NCS NCS No
Jaraguá Equipamentos Industriais Ltda Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
Keppel Fels Brasil S/A Leniency Agreement CS CS – State No
LBR Engenharia Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual Yes
Mendes Júnior Trading e Engenharia S.A. Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
Meta Manutenção e Instalações Industriais Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual Yes
Mover Participações S.A./ Camargo Corrêa S.A Leniency Agreement and Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
MPE Montagens e Projetos Especiais S.A. Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
Multitek Engenharia Ltda Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual Yes
NM Engenharia e Construções Ltda. Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
Noroil Empresa de Navegação Criminal Prosecution Unknown Unknown Unknown
Nova Engevix S.A/.Engevix S.A. Leniency Agreement and Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual Yes
Novonor/ Odebrecht S.A Leniency Agreement and Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
OAS S.A Leniency Agreement and Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family No
Pollydutos, Estre Ambiental, Estaleiro Rio Tietê (Estre Group) Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family Yes
Rolls-Royce Brasil Ltda. Leniency Agreement CS CS – Family No
Samsung Heavy Industries Leniency Agreement CS CS – Family No
Sanko Sider Comércio, Importação e Exportação de Produtos Siderúrgicos Ltda Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual Yes
Sargeant Marine Criminal Prosecution Unknown Unknown Unknown
Techint/Confab Industrial S.A Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family No
Technip Brasil – Engenharia, Instalações e Apoio Marítimo Ltda e Flexibrás Tubos Flexíveis Ltda Leniency Agreement NCS NCS No
The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc (Mullen Lowe Brasil Publicidade Ltda e FCB Brasil Publicidade e Comunicação Ltda) Leniency Agreement NCS NCS No
Tsakos Energy Navigation Criminal Prosecution NCS NCS No
UTC Engenharia S.A. Leniency Agreement and Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Individual Yes
Viken Hull Criminal Prosecution CS CS – Family No

Published Online: 2024-07-10
Published in Print: 2024-06-25

© 2024 by Theoretical Inquiries in Law

Heruntergeladen am 17.10.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/til-2024-0006/html?lang=de
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