Companies that disclose suspected criminal activity to US federal prosecutors could receive up to a 75 per cent reduction in penalties, as the justice department seeks to sweeten the incentives for co-operation.
The department’s corporate enforcement policy had previously recommended a maximum penalty reduction of 50 per cent in the event of a company coming forward in a timely manner and offering to assist with an investigation.
In a speech on Tuesday, assistant attorney-general Kenneth Polite said that the government would recommend the higher discount, unless the company concerned was a repeat offender. The DoJ would also generally not require the corporation itself to plead guilty, he said.