ACI’s acclaimed 12th West Coast Forum on FCPA Enforcement & Compliance returns to San Francisco this June. You are invited to connect with decision-makers from your industry, gather cross-industry takeaways, and hear critically important updates affecting your work. Attend practical, industry-driven sessions.

Wilson Sonsini partner Tarek Helou will serve as a panelist for the “An Interesting Twist on the Extortion Defense: “Corrupt Intent”, Duress Payments and the Case of OPR No. 22-01” program at 11:45 AM PST on Thursday June 16, 2022.

On January 21, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a new Opinion Procedure Release addressing a unique situation – a company employee faced physical duress in a foreign jurisdiction, and the only way to help was to pay a bribe. The DOJ issued a rare Opinion Procedure Release (OPR) stating that such “duress payments” do not qualify as corrupt intent. How does a compliance officer make the distinction between economic coercion and duress in real time? What are the key takeways from this case for multinational corporations?