Safran is not going to be prosecuted by the DOJ for alleged FCPA offenses.

On December 21, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) notified Safran's legal representation that the firm will not be prosecuted in connection with alleged bribes paid by employees to a China-based consultant.

Safran's cooperation in the agency's inquiry and its commitment to forfeit more than $17 million in earnings that were allegedly earned through corrupt means were cited as factors in the agency's declination letter, which was posted on its website. The government informed Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Holdings in March that company would similarly avoid prosecution under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, making the decision the DOJ's second of its sort this year (FCPA).

When representatives of Safran's German subsidiary EVAC GmbH and U.S. subsidiary Monogram Systems "paid millions of dollars to a China-based business consultant who was a close relative of a then-senior Chinese government official," the DOJ claimed it had discovered FCPA crimes. According to the DOJ, the subsidiaries were aware that the funds would be used to bribe the official in order to win contracts for train lavatories with the Chinese government.

The alleged bribes allegedly took place between 1999 and 2015, around before Safran acquired Monogram and EVAC, according to the DOJ. Senior agency officials expressed a willingness to give less weight to "dated misconduct" in conclusions when they announced new objectives in corporate crime enforcement this year, particularly when it occurs at a subsidiary before it is acquired by a business with a robust compliance program.

The alleged misbehavior allegedly occurring before to the purchase and the company's discovery of the apparent infractions through post-acquisition due diligence were, in reality, mitigating considerations the DOJ stated regarding its Safran declination. According to the DOJ, Safran terminated a last employee allegedly implicated in the alleged conspiracy and willingly submitted its findings to the agency. Safran also cooperated completely with the agency's investigation. Deferred remuneration for a second involved employee who left the organization was withheld.

Safran was also praised for agreeing to assist German authorities in their ongoing EVAC inquiry. The DOJ decided to leave any future sanctions against the corporation up to the German government.

An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by Safran's representatives.

The DOJ emphasized that its letter of declination does not shield anyone allegedly implicated in the scam from prosecution. If the agency finds any material that causes it to reevaluate its initial evaluation, it may do so.

By fLEXI tEAM