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Pre-Trial Prosecution Agreements Fell 60 Percent in 2008
By Matt Squire
printThe U.S. Justice Department entered into 60 percent fewer pre-trial agreements with corporations seeking to avoid criminal prosecutions in 2008 than in the previous year, according to a study released Friday. The agreements, which include deferred prosecution and non-prosecution deals, numbered 16 in 2008, down from a total of 40 in 2007 and 19 in 2006, according to the study by compliance consultants. Seven of the 2008 agreements involved Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations and only one, with money transmitter Sigue Corp., involved money laundering. While the reason for the 2008 drop remains unclear, the shift could reflect concomitant...
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