Markus Funk Quoted in InsideCounsel Article

Perkins Coie Partner, Markus Funk was quoted throughout an article published in InsideCounsel on Tuesday February, 01.  The article, "U.S. FCPA Enforcement Receives International Praise," written by Steven Anderson, on the continuing effort to tackle foreign bribery by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).  The article discusses the incredible increase in cases over the last several years. "In ’05, which was considered the banner year at that time, the FCPA folks prosecuted five individuals and collected something like $16 million," stated Funk "And then you contrast that with 2010, where if you look at the top eight cases alone, they collected more than $1.5 billion—that’s with a B."  Such dramatic increases are often met with criticism, particularly when they cross international borders, but this is one area where the world seems to be squarely behind the hardline U.S. stance. In October 2010, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) issued a glowing assessment on the state of U.S. anti-corruption enforcement. "The U.S. obviously is the world leader in this department," says Funk. "The U.S. historically has been responsible for 70 percent of the world’s foreign anti-bribery prosecution, second place being the U.K. with a little bit over 4 percent. So the U.S. is a world leader—it’s the poster child for robust foreign anti-corruption enforcement efforts."