Event 14 Oct. 2022
Curtis Provides Capacity Training to the Government of Uganda
more
Event 21 Sep. 2022
Kalidou Gadio Speaks at AIEN 2022 International Energy Summit
News 15 May. 2023
Curtis represents e-commerce retailer in its fight to recover monies withheld by PayPal, the global payment giant
News 16 Dec. 2022
Curtis Trade Team is top ranked in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2023
Event 08 May. 2023
Partner Irene Petrelli to Participate in ICC YAAF Event
News 02 May. 2023
Curtis Italy with DeA Capital in the Acquisition of Magic S.r.l
Event 23 May. 2023
Partners Luciana Ricart and Fernando Tupa Will Teach a Workshop on Hearings in Investment Arbitration for Arbanza School of Arbitration’s Online Program
Publications 23 Feb. 2023
Fernando Tupa Publishes Book on Forum-Specific Consent to International Arbitration in Investment Agreements
Event 03 May. 2023
Dr. Borzu Sabahi to Speak at ICSID-ADGM Joint Conference: Investment Protection and Armed Conflict
Event 19 Mar. 2023
Sebastiano Nessi speaks at Bahrain Business and Legal Landscape Conference
Event 01 Jun. 2023
Curtis Environmental Chair Charles Howland to Moderate Panel Discussion on Latest Developments in Environmental Due Diligence at ABA Masterclass on Environmental Transactions
News 25 May. 2023
Curtis Files SCOTUS Amicus Brief for Distinguished Law Professors in First Amendment Retaliatory Arrest Case
News 06 Mar. 2023
Russia Sanctions at the First Anniversary: An Overview of Current Sanctions in the US, UK, and EU and How Global Companies Can Navigate Evolving and Conflicting Sanctions Regimes
Client Alert 30 Aug. 2022
The EU Adopts the “Maintenance and Alignment” Sanctions Package
Client Alert 24 Jun. 2021
Update on Virtual Notarization (Executive Order 202.7) During the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic (Updated: June 24, 2021) — U.S. Insight
Update on Virtual Witnessing (New York Executive Order 202.14) During The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic (Updated: June 24, 2021) — U.S. Insight
Client Alert 21 Apr. 2022
Click here to download the full alert
On March 2, 2022, “Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the launch of Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions, and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine.” The task force’s mission will include:
Task Force KleptoCapture will operate out of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, but will also include agents and analysts from numerous law enforcement agencies.
On March 16, 2022, the Treasury Department announced the launch of the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Program(“KARRA”). The program, created pursuant to the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Act, authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, “with the concurrence of the Secretary of State and the Attorney General,” to pay whistleblowers up to $5 million for information leading to the restraining, seizure, forfeiture, or repatriation of stolen funds “linked to foreign government corruption and the proceeds of that corruption” held at a financial institution in the United States (including the US branch of a foreign financial institution) or that come within the possession or control of any U.S. person. The law defines “foreign government corruption” to mean corruption under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. Under KARRA the payments, in the aggregate, must amount to less than the total amount of stolen assets recovered through the program during the fiscal year, and not exceed $25 million in any calendar year.
These caps on recovery mean that a whistleblower’s reward can be limited to only a small share of the assets recovered. In that way, KARRA differs from other whistleblower programs, like the whistleblower programs offered by the IRS, the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, the SEC, and the CFTC, where rewards are calculated as a proportional share of the recovered assets. Where large sums are recovered, those programs often offer higher rewards to whistleblowers than would KARRA. For example, the SEC has recently announced rewards of approximately $14 million and $13 million to individuals, and $40 million to two whistleblowers, with one individual receiving approximately $32 million. Similarly, on October 21, 2021, the CFTC announced a reward of approximately $200 million to an individual whistleblower under its program.
Moreover, unlike other programs, under KARRA, rewards may be reduced or refused where “the Secretary has a reasonable basis to believe” that the whistleblower “planned, initiated, directly participated in, or facilitated” the illegal conduct. However, just as in other programs, KARRA makes whistleblowers completely ineligible for rewards if they are convicted of criminal conduct arising from their planning, initiating, directly participating in, or facilitating the illegal conduct.
Finally, KARRA provides only generalized protections for whistleblowers authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to “take such measures in connection with the payment of the reward as the Secretary considers necessary to effect . . . protection” of the whistleblower and his or her family. Other programs offer specific, particularized protections to whistleblowers.
In sum, KARRA presents a new tool for the recovery of stolen assets and an opportunity for putative whistleblowers who should be aware of KARRA’s parameters and those of other programs under existing law.
Economic Sanctions
Nicoleta Timofti
Partner
Jonathan J. Walsh
New York
+1 212 696 6000
Geneva
+41 22 718 3500
Article 24 May. 2023
Elisa Botero, Belén Ibañez and Sara Dangón Publish Article in Law360 on the U.N General Assembly’s Request to the ICJ for an Advisory Opinion on State Obligations on Climate Change
We use cookies on our website to enhance your browsing experience, match your interests and assess our website performance. We do not share information with any third-party for marketing purposes. Please view our privacy policy to learn more about the use of cookies on our website. By continuing to browse our website, you consent to our use of cookies.