We had many new developments this month in the world of anti-bribery compliance.  Read the summaries below and then vote for which one you think is most deserving of the top spot:

1. Canadian authorities charge SNC Lavalin with paying bribes in Libya: On February 19th, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) charged SNC Lavalin Group Inc. and two of its subsidiaries with violating the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (CFPOA).  The charges relate to CAN$47,689,868 (US$37,946,982) in alleged bribe payments made to Libyan officials between 2001 and 2013. If found guilty, the company faces criminal penalties and possible debarment from Canadian government contracts for a period of ten years. 
2. Problems for the KPK in Indonesia: Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission, known as the KPK, is in a standoff with the country's police force and President Joko Widodo.  President Widodo, who is charged with selecting the country's national police chief, was rebuffed by the KPK after his first selection, Budi Gunawan, was tied to large scale bribery allegations. The KPK has also voiced concerns over Mr. Widodo's second pick, Badrodin Haiti, also due to corruption.  For its part, Indonesian police have named the head of the KPK, Abraham Samad, as a suspect in their own ongoing corruption investigation, and Mr. Widodo has since suspended Mr. Samad and one of his deputies at the KPK. This has prompted street demonstrations in Jakarta amidst anxiety that the government is looking to dismantle the commission.
3. 11^th Circuit holds that foreign officials can be prosecuted for laundering bribes:  Twenty-four years ago, the United States' Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that foreign officials may not be prosecuted for accepting bribes pursuant to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) (See U.S. v. Castle, 925 F.2d 831 (1991)). That's because, as the court explained, Congress never intended the FCPA to cover foreign officials.  This month, however, the Eleventh Circuit Court held that foreign officials may be prosecuted for accepting bribes pursuant to the U.S. Money Laundering Control Act when they launder the proceeds of bribes through U.S. financial institutions (see U.S.  v. Duperval (11th Cir. Feb. 9, 2015)). Duperval, a Director of International Relations for Telecommunications at D'Haiti S.A.M., was found guilty by a Miami jury in 2012 and sentenced to 9 years imprisonment.
4. SEC settles with Goodyear for $16.2 million over African bribes: Between 2007 and 2011, Goodyear subsidiaries in Kenya and Angola made over $3.2 million in illicit payments, according to the SEC's published settlement order.  The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) noted Goodyear's substantial remedial efforts and voluntary disclosure as mitigating factors, and the company's penalties were limited to disgorgement and prejudgment interest.  The DOJ has reportedly declined to bring any further actions against the company. 
5. Corruption scandal at Brazil's Petrobras ensnaring increasing number of companies: Brazil's largest state-controlled company, Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), is ensnared in an expansive federal investigation regarding kickbacks from a wide array of suppliers and contractors that were reportedly funneled to government officials.  Among the list of suppliers caught up in the scandal is UK-based Rolls Royce, which is said to have paid at least $200,000 in bribes to an official at Petrobras in order win a contract.
6.  DOJ declines to prosecute Eli Lilly for bribery: The Indiana-based global pharmaceutical company settled civil FCPA charges with the SEC in 2012 for $29 million related to bribery violations in Russia, China, Brazil and Poland.  In the company's Form 10-K (Annual Report) filed with the SEC on February 19, Eli Lilly said that the DOJ has closed its investigation into the matter.