Bribe, Swindle or Steal

At the 2025 TRACE Annapolis Forum, Nicola Bonucci, Associate Professor at Paris Cité and former General Counsel of the OECD, reflects on 25 years of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and the evolving challenges of global enforcement. From uncertainties around FCPA guidance, political influence, and uneven implementation, to questions about the U.S.’s continued leadership in anti-bribery efforts, Nicola highlights the risks companies face in an increasingly unpredictable landscape—where cross-border investigations, bribe solicitation, and public scrutiny are on the rise.

Speaking at the 2022 TRACE London Forum, Oliver Bullough, author of Butler to the World, discusses the UK’s role as an enabler of financial crime, efforts toward accountability, the balance between transparency and privacy, and the weaponization of lawsuits in British courts to silence journalists.   This episode was originally published on 26 October 2022.  

This is a powerful session from the 2022 TRACE London Forum featuring Leonid Volkov, former Chief of Staff to Alexei Navalny and Political Director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF). Leonid discusses the role of corruption in Putin’s Russia as well as the impact of sanctions and the toll that rampant corruption is taking on Russia.   This episode was originally published on 5 October 2022.

Eugene Soltes, Author, and Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, describes his fascinating research into what motivates white collar criminals and how distance from their victims makes it easier.   This episode was originally published on 30 August 2017.

Karen Benson, Senior Counsel, Legal, at Energizer Holdings, shares a broad range of tips on how to build a targeted, innovative training program that keeps employs interested and engaged.   This episode was originally published on 15 May 2019.

This week’s podcast features an excellent presentation by Misti Mukherjee, founder and managing member of Extensio Law.  Misti addresses the shifting field of diversity, equity and inclusion—including recent changes to the law—and emphasizes the critical importance of this work alongside the need to approach it with intentionality and discipline.   This episode was originally published on 5 August 2024.

Chuck Duross, Global Co-Chair of the FCPA and Global Anti-Corruption Practice at Morrison Foerster, and former head of the DOJ’s FCPA unit, discusses lures, stings, wiretaps and INTERPOL Red Notices.   This episode was originally published on 7 March 2018.

Nick McKenzie, award-winning Australian investigative journalist, shares the inside story of his role in exposing the Unaoil scandal.   This episode was originally published on 12 July 2017.

Author, academic and former compliance professional, Alison Taylor joins the podcast to talk about her compelling book, "Higher Ground". She describes the contradictions inherent in companies that talk about “doing well by doing good” and explains why corporate reputation management can’t be an end in itself and how trying to do less can be the best strategy. “You don’t have to join every conversation”.   This episode was originally published on 14 February 2024.

Diana Henriques, award-winning journalist and author, discusses the traits of fraudsters and the menace of reputation laundering.   This episode was originally published on 3 August 2024.

Melissa Goldin, a NY-based News Verification Reporter and Editor with The Associated Press analyzes and debunks fake news.    This episode was originally published on 24 July 2024.

This week, we’re listening in on Alexandra Wrage’s keynote presentation at a Whistleblowers and Public Integrity conference hosted by the Vancouver Anti-Corruption Institute (VACI). She addresses the incredible personal price that whistleblowers pay when they’re driven to expose misconduct, explores how we can begin to shift the tone of the discussion around reporting and notes how difficult it is to uncover financial crime without whistleblowers.   This episode was originally published on 16 November 2022.

Paul Caruana Galizia, an investigative journalist at the Financial Times and Author of “A Death in Malta”, joins the podcast to talk about the work of his mother, Daphne, the growing danger she perceived as her investigations reached the highest circles of power in Malta, and now the criminal proceedings against the two men who killed her. Paul also discusses the Daphne Foundation and the incredible journalistic community that worked together, again, to prove that killing a journalist won’t kill their story. This episode was originally published on 12 October 2022.

At the TRACE Prize for Investigative Reporting award ceremony last month, former prosecutor and National Observer columnist Sandy Garossino led a conversation with ICIJ’s Spencer Woodman, Bellingcat’s Aric Toler, and 2022 Prize winners Hans Peterson Hammer of Göteborgs-Posten and Lilia Saúl Rodriguez of the OCCRP. They discuss the evolution, impact and future of cross-border collaborative investigative journalism.   This episode was originally published on 20 July 2022.  

Nobel Peace Prize winning journalist Maria Ressa joins the podcast to talk about corruption, disinformation and how to stand up to a dictator.   This podcast was originally published on February 22, 2023.