Jacobs Engineering Group seeks advice in relation to its business in Southeast Asia

Client(s) Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.

Jones Day advised Jacobs Group Australia Pty Ltd (formerly Sinclair Knight Merz Pty Ltd) ("Jacobs") in relation to a landmark foreign bribery matter in Australia, in which Jacobs received substantially reduced penalties as a result of its self-reporting to and extensive co-operation with authorities. Over the course of more than a decade, the matter traversed an investigation, voluntary self-reporting, engagement with the World Bank, entry into an associated Negotiated Resolution Agreement, the management of sanctions, implementation of remedial steps, and engagement with the Asian Development Bank, the Australian Federal Police and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. The matter also involved appeals by the Prosecution to the New South Wales Criminal Court of Appeal and to the full bench of the High Court of Australia on the interpretation of penalty and related sentencing provisions for foreign bribery. The High Court decision is relevant to the calculation of penalties for a range of corporate offending under Federal legislation in Australia which uses a similar penalty methodology, including with respect to the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).