Over the past several years, the U.S. government has become increasingly active in the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). But despite the increased focus on criminal prosecutions of companies and their principals, evidence suggests that many people still view some form of bribery as an acceptable or even necessary requirement for doing business in some countries. This increases risk and imposes a responsibility for companies doing business abroad to do all that is necessary to ensure that they and their partners act in ways that are compliant with the FCPA. This is particularly so for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who have been recent targets of U.S. law enforcement and who face a greater risk of liability for bribery, since they have fewer resources to ensure compliance and must frequently must rely upon third parties to act on their behalf.
To examine these issues, the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand will hold a joint meeting of its legal and SME committees on April 25 in Bangkok. At the event, Michael Ramirez, a consultant in the Tilleke & Gibbins dispute resolution group, and Melisa Uremovic, counsel for Hunton & Williams, will provide an overview of the FCPA and effective compliance mechanisms, focused on the unique challenges imposed upon SMEs doing business in Thailand and the Asia Pacific region in general.
To register for this event, please visit the AMCHAM Thailand website.