Ukrainian Delegation Meets Top Whistleblower Lawyer to Learn about U.S. Anti-Corruption Laws

Last week, top whistleblower lawyer Stephen M. Kohn met visitors from the Ukraine State Border Guard Service and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. The delegation met with Kohn to discuss the use of U.S. anti-corruption laws to prevent international crimes such as offshore tax evasion, foreign bribery, and money laundering.

Kohn explained how the international application of reward provisions in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) incentivizes whistleblowers to provide valuable information about foreign bribery and other corruption to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). If this information leads to a successful enforcement action, the whistleblower may qualify for a whistleblower reward. Regardless of nationality or citizenship, any individuals who come forward with knowledge of illegal activities may be entitled to a monetary award under the FCPA.

According to Kohn, the reward provisions of the FCPA have triggered international whistleblowers to file claims in the United States concerning corruption taking place in their native countries. For example, the SEC Whistleblower Office reported that between 2011–2019, 3,792 whistleblowers from 122 different countries filed allegations of corruption in the United States.

Kohn emphasized the importance of protecting the identity of whistleblowers, which strengthens the credibility of whistleblower anti corruption laws and empowers whistleblowers around the world to report crimes. Whistleblowers who file allegations with the SEC may file anonymously.

The guests were part of the International Visitor Leadership Program sponsored by the U.S. State Department and arranged by the Meridian International Center.

View Stephen Kohn’s PowerPoint presentation: https://kkc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Ukr-powerpoint.pdf

Read more:

What is the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act? (FAQs)

How to qualify for rewards as an SEC Whistleblower (FAQs)