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The Price Cap on Russian Oil – Part 2: Updated OFAC Guidance

In our previous article on this topic (which you can read here), we analyzed recent enforcement activity by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) related to the maritime transport of Russian-origin crude oil and Russian-origin petroleum products above price caps agreed by the “Price Cap Coalition,” comprising Australia, Canada, … Continue Reading

The Price Cap on Russian Oil – Part 1: Increased OFAC Enforcement

In June 2022, the Group of Seven (“G7”) countries—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—decided to pursue a policy to cap the price of Russian oil. In December 2022, the G7 countries, joined by Australia and the supranational European Union (together, the “Price Cap Coalition”) officially implemented measures to ban … Continue Reading

Increased Corporate Transparency in the Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory, has long been recognized as one of the world’s leading providers of institutionally focused financial services and a preferred destination for the structuring and domiciling of sophisticated and specialized financial services products, particularly investment funds.  However, for a number of reasons, the inherent risks to the Cayman Islands’ … Continue Reading

Australia Plans to Join U.S. and U.K. in the CLOUD Act

Following its agreement with the United Kingdom, the United States announces formal negotiations are underway with Australia about joining the CLOUD Act. Although also a bi-lateral negotiation, the U.S. talks with Australia strike a more practical tone than those with the U.K.… Continue Reading

Tabcorp fined $45 million

Gaming company Tabcorp has been fined $45 million for breaching anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing laws. The Federal Court found that Tabcorp broke the law on 108 occasions over five years. The fine imposed by the Federal Court is the highest civil penalty in Australian corporate history. The multi million dollar fine was handed down … Continue Reading

Fair Go vs First Amendment in Australia: bans to political donations by property developers survive constitutional challenge

If you’ve ever been to Australia, or are familiar with Australian politics, there is a good chance that you have heard the catch cry of the ‘fair go.’ For our non-Australian audience, this can be roughly translated to ‘equality of opportunity for all Australians’. As we all know, in the United States freedom of speech … Continue Reading

Australian Sports Coalition Makes Submission to Foreign Bribery Senate Inquiry

Australian Sports Coalition Makes Submission to Foreign Bribery Senate Inquiry The Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports Inc. (COMPPS) has made a submission to the Senate Inquiry into Foreign Bribery, calling for a federal legislative response to tackle the threat of local and cross-border match fixing in Australia. As sports betting in legal and … Continue Reading

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Launch Crackdown on Foreign Bribery by Corporates

The AFP’s new Fraud and Anti-Corruption Centre (FAC Centre) says it is ramping up investigations on foreign bribery, sending a clear warning that Australian companies with foreign operations need to get their house in order. FAC Centre Manager Commander Linda Champion recently told The Australian Financial Review that the AFP “started ramping up [their] efforts … Continue Reading

Review of Australian laws on bribery of a Commonwealth and foreign public official

The following is a guest post from associate Nicole Matraiin Squire Patton Boggs’ Perth, Australia office. The Australian Attorney General’s Department is looking to change some of the key points to Australia’s laws on bribery of a Commonwealth and foreign public official (found in Division 141 and 70 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth)). According … Continue Reading
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