Successor Liability in the Spotlight With Mondelēz’s $13M FCPA Settlement After Purchase of Cadbury India 

Mondelēz International, Inc., has settled anti-corruption allegations with the SEC stemming from subsidiary Cadbury Limited’s expansion of a chocolate plant in India. U.S.-based Mondelēz, which acquired U.K.-based Cadbury in 2010, agreed to pay a civil penalty of $13 million to settle the allegations concerning payments made to a third-party agent retained by Cadbury India. The deal is notable for its illumination of acceptable levels of pre-acquisition due diligence and for the fact that only civil penalties were incurred, with no mention of disgorgement, practitioners told the Anti-Corruption Report. For more on anti-corruption in India, see “Experts Discuss the Corruption Climate in India and Give Six Practical Tips to Mitigate Risk” (Mar. 9, 2016); “Regional Risk Spotlight: Jay Holtmeier of WilmerHale Explains How to Navigate Bureaucratic Corruption Risks in India” (Sep. 23, 2015) and “Doing Business in India: Avoiding Corruption Risks and Monitoring Compliance Programs” (Jun. 11, 2014).

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