Financial Transparency Coalition

The James Mintz Group recently released a fascinating interactive database, which compiles decades of data on violations and penalties under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.S. flagship legislation that makes bribery of foreign officials a crime. Since its inception, prosecutors have penalized over 200 companies under the FCPA in about 80 countries, amassing about $4 billion in penalties. The database, which they call Where the Bribes are Paid, allows users to see how the total penalties amassed in each country break down by sector. It is a relatively unsurprising finding that the energy sector has generated the largest...