Corruption: Brazil, Mexico See Setbacks

Latinvex asks experts about the outlook for corruption and the FCPA in Brazil and Mexico.

BY JOACHIM BAMRUD

Last month, Brazil’s Lava Jato (Car Wash) anti-corruption task force was closed after seven years of significant cases, which included bringing ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Odebrecht CEO Marcelo Odebrecht behind bars.  The task force, closed by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, was responsible for 295 arrests, 278 convictions and 4.3 billion reais ($803 million) in ill-gotten gains being returned to the Brazilian state during its roughly seven years of operation, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, in Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador backtracked on campaign promises to battle corruption and his handling of a US case against a former defense minister on money laundering charges has led the US Department of Justice to call into question whether the United States can continue to share information in support of Mexico’s criminal investigations. At the same time, the USDOJ and US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continue probing corruption at Mexican state oil company Pemex.

What is the outlook for corruption and cases tied to FCPA in Brazil and Mexico?

Latinvex asked three experts:

Matteson Ellis, Member, Miller & Chevalier and author of The FCPA in Latin America

Juan Morillo, Co-Chair of the White Collar and Corporate Investigations Practice, Quinn Emanuel

Ruti Smithline, Co-Chair of Investigations + White Collar Criminal Defense Group and Co-Chair of Latin America Desk, Morrison & Foerster

BRAZIL: LAVA JATO, PETROBRAS

Latinvex: How do you view the FCPA outlook for Brazil?

Ellis: Indications are that, in 2021, Brazil might not..

Full story

Keywords: Brazil, Car Wash, Corruption, FCPA, Mexico, Miller & Chevalier, Morrison & Foerster, Pemex, Petrobras, Quinn Emanuel

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