September 17, 2013
Gibson Dunn had a significant presence at this year’s International Symposium on Economic Crime, held at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, which ran from September 1-8, 2013. More than 1,000 delegates attended, including international ministers, legislators, judges, law enforcement and intelligence officials from across the world. The overall theme of the event was “Fighting Economic Crime in the Modern World — The Role of the Private Sector – Partners and Problems.”
Four Gibson Dunn lawyers spoke at the event. Los Angeles partner Marcellus McRae participated in a workshop on “U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement and the Guidelines Recently Issued Jointly by the SEC and DOJ.” London partner Patrick Doris and representatives from the U.K. Serious Fraud Office spoke at a workshop on “Enforcement Penalties for Corporate Criminal Conduct.” London associate Mark Handley was a panelist on “Anti-Corruption – the Role of Governance and Audit.”
Tackling corruption in emerging regions was a key theme, and Africa in particular was a major topic, with representatives from across the continent, including Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Djibouti.
Hassan Issa Sultan, State Inspector General for the Republic of Djibouti and a Gibson Dunn client, gave a closing address on the fight against corruption on the continent, and how it has been integral to increasing political stability and genuine economic development. He highlighted, “When it comes to African nations, too often the misguided viewpoint of the international community appears to be that any efforts to recover stolen assets are politically motivated or simply a case of moving money from one corrupt pocket to another.” And in his conclusion, he called for a level playing field in the fight against corruption to ensure that those countries seeking to make recoveries are offered the right levels of international access and support, and that a multi-million dollar fraud is seen for what it is: direct theft from an emerging nation that is trying to develop and grow.