November 2012 - On 29 November 2012, Kinstellar co-hosted a seminar on Compliance Risks and Cross-Border Investigations with Ernst & Young at Butchers’ Hall in London. The event drew around 60 participants from industry and US/UK law firms.
The seminar addressed topical issues relating to risks, compliance and sensitive investigations. As international legislation and enforcement proceedings begin to clamp down on corruption, compliance is becoming increasingly important to corporate agendas across Europe. This is also true in the emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey. Though corruption is still prevalent, there are clear trends towards greater scrutiny on the part of local authorities, and the incidence of investigations and enforcement proceedings is on the rise.
Increasingly, companies are taking a pro-active approach to detecting and preventing violations. In some jurisdictions, internal investigations can prompt voluntary disclosure and mitigation (or even avoidance) of penalties. Many global organisations may face similar issues in several jurisdictions in this region, or encounter issues that are part of a wider problem. It is often difficult to navigate through the region’s web of anti-corruption regimes. Companies with operations in the region (often spanning multiple jurisdictions) and their international counsel need a coordinated approach to compliance and enforcement matters.
Three Kinstellar partners made presentations at the event: Daniel Torsher gave an overview of anti-corruption regimes and enforcement trends in the region. Jitka Logesová addressed key issues to consider when appointing legal counsel and Bogdan Bibicu shared some practice notes in the conduct of cross-border investigations.
Andrey Novikov, Ferenc Biro and Mariusz Witalis of Ernst & Young also presented case studies in recent corruption cases and enforcement trends.
The seminar was followed by a lively panel discussion, which included Dominik Adamski, a senior forensic officer with the European Investment Bank, Elena Chernyshevich, compliance officer for Janssen, Tom Nicholson, forensic researcher in Slovakia, John Smart, head of Ernst & Young’s Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services and Radosław Wywiał, compliance manager at MAN Truck & Bus. The discussion was moderated by Jason Mogg, Kinstellar’s Managing Partner.
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Kinstellar is the only independent law firm in Emerging Europe with a dedicated regional Compliance, Risk & Sensitive Investigations (CRSI) practice. We have multi-jurisdictional and cross-disciplinary capabilities to handle complex internal investigations and sensitive white-collar crime cases.
For more information about Kinstellar’s CRSI practice, please contact Jitka Logesová, Partner, Head of Compliance, Risk & Sensitive Investigations, on +420 221 622 111, or at .