FCPA: RAE and Settlement of FCPA Violations in China

As reported on Friday, December 10, 2010 in the FCPA Blog and by others, RAE Systems, Inc., (RAE) a California-based gas detection company settled Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) charges on this date with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for $2.9 million. The DOJ’s letter to the RAE CEO and its legal counsel, dated December 10, 2010, declined to prosecute the company and its subsidiaries for its admitted “knowing” of violations of the internal controls and books and records provisions of the FCPA. The DOJ entered into this Non-Prosecution Agreement (NPA) based upon four listed factors, which were detailed as follows: (1) timely and voluntary disclosure; (2) the company’s thorough and “real-time” cooperation with the DOJ and SEC; (3) extensive remedial efforts undertaken by the company; and (4) RAE’s commitment to periodic monitoring and submission of these monitoring reports to the DOJ. We will review this enforcement action and NPA over several blog postings. Today we will discuss the facts underlying the allegations and findings of bribery and corruption.

I. The Joint Ventures and Due Diligence

a. KLH

The DOJ Statement of Facts, attached to the NPA as Appendix A, reports that RAE sold its products into China primarily through “two second tier subsidiaries” which were organized as joint ventures with local Chinese entities. One of these joint ventures, RAE-KLH, Limited (KLH) was originally owned 64% by RAE. This interest in KLH was initially purchased by RAE in 2004. Later, in 2006, RAE increased its ownership interest to 96%. Prior to its initial purchase of a stake in KLH, RAE conducted due diligence on the Chinese entity. This report made what the DOJ called “troubling findings” by noting:

As the important clients are those related to the government, it is very important for the company to keep very good relationship [sic] with those government people. In normal practice, KLH will determine its internal product price, the salesmen can negotiate the price with the client based on that and can take away the difference between the internal product price and the final sales price as commission. It is the salesmen, not the company, who will decide the [sic] whether and how much amount of the commission they should give to the clients. The salesmen didn’t get the commission in cash directly, but instead they get the cash by provide [sic] different acceptable invoices. These invoices will then be used as original supporting documents for accounting records. They are recorded as different expenses in the financial statements. To some extent, the financial statements have been distorted by these commissions [sic].

With the change of market regulations in China, the government influence will be less important, there is a challenge as to whether KLH could still…