As regulations evolve and enforcement intensifies, effective documentation of sanctions investigation results has never been more critical. Proper documentation is crucial not only for maintaining legal privileges and the confidentiality of sensitive information, but also for supporting legal defenses in potential regulatory enforcement in the future. Additionally, companies may have an obligation to disclose investigation results to their external auditors, shareholders, and other stakeholders (e.g., transaction counterparties), underscoring the importance of appropriate documentation to ensure…

In the high-stakes world of sanctions investigations, where data privacy meets sanctions regimes, companies and practitioners must navigate both domestic and international legislation while ensuring compliance with regulatory agencies. In the complex landscape of sanctions investigations and the need to identify and collate documents that are relevant to the investigation, data protection plays a crucial role. The initial phase of a sanctions investigation often involves fact finding in order to establish the complete picture of…

Companies caught in the eye of the sanctions enforcement storm can only begin to effectively weather it by conducting a thorough internal investigation. These investigations are multifaceted (see our other blog posts in this series here), but an essential component is often conducting interviews. Interviews are a fundamental part of cross-border sanctions investigations that combine practical and legal challenges. Organizing them effectively requires an appreciation of practices in different jurisdictions, including local laws, customs, and…

No one size fits all When dealing with sanctions enforcement authorities in investigations, companies should have a clear understanding of an investigating agency’s expectations. These can be tricky to navigate in the current enforcement environment where multiple agencies across several jurisdictions are often actively investigating similar conduct. To compound the situation and risks, those agencies may take different approaches to communicating with a company, obtaining information or evidence from the target and third parties, and…