Aruba Telecom Sentencings Demonstrate Continued Panama Papers Repercussions

The recent sentencings of both an accused payer and recipient of bribes in a matter involving a state-owned telecommunications company in Aruba demonstrate the willingness of the U.S. government both to pursue foreign officials and, apparently, to make use of the Panama Papers in doing so. The June 27, 2018, sentencing of former Servicio di Telecommunicasion di Aruba N.V. official Egbert Yvan Ferdinand Koolman, who pleaded guilty to money-laundering charges, follows the April 30, 2018, sentencing of Lawrence Parker, Jr., an owner of phone companies who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and to commit wire fraud. The Anti-Corruption Report spoke to practitioners about the significance of the charges against Koolman and Parker, their guilty pleas and sentencings, and the implications of the case for FCPA enforcement. See also “Resolutions in the Direct Access Partners Matter and the Panama Papers: A Caution for Financial Sector Anti-Corruption Compliance” (May 18, 2016) and “Effective FCPA Compliance Strategies in the Wake of the Panama Papers” (May 4, 2016).

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