Pause of FCPA unlikely to affect investigations by US SEC, say experts

The recent executive order by US President Donald Trump, pausing enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for 180 days, has added significant uncertainty to ongoing cases involving Indian companies or operations in India, but the investigations may still move forward under the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

 

The FCPA is jointly enforced by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the SEC in the United States, applying criminal and civil penalties, respectively.

 

“While most cases under the FCPA and SEC investigations against multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in India have been settled with the SEC by way