What a settlement, plea or penalty actually means
Plain, sourced records of government enforcement resolutions: the amount, the allegation, whether liability was admitted, and the official source. Updated 19 October 2026.
How resolutions work
- African Development Bank sanctions and debarment explained
How the AfDB investigates fraud and corruption, how the Sanctions Commissioner and Sanctions Appeals Board decide, and how AfDB settlements work.
- Corporate monitors explained
When DOJ and the SEC require an independent compliance monitor, how monitors are chosen and paid, how long they serve, with case examples.
- Cross-debarment among multilateral development banks explained
How a debarment by the World Bank, AfDB, ADB, EBRD or IDB can be enforced by the others under the 2010 mutual enforcement agreement, and its limits.
- Deferred and non-prosecution agreements explained
How U.S. deferred prosecution agreements and non-prosecution agreements work for companies, the Justice Manual factors, and what the company admits.
- Disgorgement explained
What disgorgement means in SEC and DOJ resolutions: the statute, the 2020 Liu v. SEC ruling, offsets and fair funds, with case examples.
- False Claims Act settlements explained
How the U.S. False Claims Act works, treble damages, qui tam whistleblower suits, relator shares, and what a DOJ FCA settlement says about liability.
- FCPA resolutions explained
How U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases end: declinations, NPAs, DPAs, guilty pleas and SEC actions, with the statute, penalties and DOJ policy.
- How to find a Justice Department settlement
Where to find official DOJ press releases, resolution agreements, court filings on PACER and SEC litigation releases, and what to check in each.
- Plea agreements and settlements compared
The difference between a guilty plea, a deferred prosecution agreement and a civil settlement in U.S. cases, with Rule 11 and Justice Manual rules.
- SEC settlements: neither admit nor deny
What an SEC settlement without admissions means, the 1972 no-deny policy in 17 CFR 202.5(e), and its rescission by the SEC on 18 May 2026.
- UK deferred prosecution agreements explained
How DPAs work in England and Wales under Schedule 17 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013: who can enter one, court approval, terms, breach and admissions.
- Voluntary self-disclosure explained
How DOJ and the SEC credit companies that report their own misconduct: the Corporate Enforcement Policy, Justice Manual 9-28.900, the SEC Seaboard report.
- What a government settlement means
What civil settlements, DPAs, NPAs, plea agreements and SEC orders say about admission of liability or guilt, with the rules that govern each.
- Whistleblower awards explained
How whistleblowers are paid: the SEC program (10% to 30%), False Claims Act qui tam shares (15% to 30%) and the DOJ corporate pilot, with case examples.
- World Bank sanctions and debarment explained
How the World Bank investigates, debars and settles with firms over fraud and corruption in Bank-financed projects, from INT to the Sanctions Board.
Case records
- ABB FCPA resolution over Eskom bribery (2022)
ABB entered a three-year DPA with DOJ and settled SEC charges in December 2022 over bribes to an Eskom official. Amounts, admissions and terms.
- Airbus deferred prosecution agreements in France, the UK and the US (2020)
In January 2020 Airbus resolved bribery and export-control cases in France, the UK and the US. Amounts, charges, terms and admissions.
- Binance guilty plea and US agency resolutions (2023)
In November 2023 Binance pleaded guilty to Bank Secrecy Act, money transmitting and sanctions charges. Amounts, admissions, monitors and Zhao.
- Boeing 737 MAX deferred prosecution agreement (2021) and later developments
Boeing's 2021 DPA, the 2024 breach finding, the rejected plea deal, the 2025 non-prosecution agreement, the dismissal and the Fifth Circuit rulings.
- Ericsson FCPA resolution (2019) and 2023 guilty plea
Ericsson agreed to pay over US$1 billion in a 2019 FCPA resolution, then pleaded guilty in 2023 after DOJ found it breached the DPA. Terms and dates.
- Glencore bribery and market manipulation resolutions (2022)
Glencore entities pleaded guilty in the US in May 2022 and in the UK in June 2022. Amounts, charges, monitors and sentencing, from the official records.
- Goldman Sachs 1MDB FCPA resolution (2020)
In October 2020 Goldman Sachs entered a DPA and its Malaysian unit pleaded guilty over 1MDB. Amounts, charges and admissions from DOJ, SEC and Fed records.
- Griffiths Energy International guilty plea in Canada over Chad (2013)
Griffiths Energy International pleaded guilty in Calgary in January 2013 to a foreign bribery charge over Chad and was fined C$10.35 million.
- Gunvor FCPA guilty plea and Swiss conviction over Ecuador (2024)
Gunvor S.A. pleaded guilty in New York on 1 March 2024 over bribes to Petroecuador officials, and Swiss prosecutors convicted it the same day. The amounts.
- Halliburton SEC order over Angola local content contracts (2017)
On 27 July 2017 Halliburton agreed to pay US$29.2 million under an SEC order on FCPA books and records and internal controls over Angola contracts.
- JGC Corporation deferred prosecution agreement (2011)
JGC Corporation of Japan entered a DOJ deferred prosecution agreement in April 2011 over Bonny Island LNG bribes in Nigeria. Penalty, admissions and terms.
- Kellogg Brown & Root guilty plea and KBR and Halliburton SEC settlement (2009)
Kellogg Brown & Root LLC pleaded guilty in 2009 to FCPA charges over Nigeria's Bonny Island LNG project. Fine, admissions, SEC terms and Nigeria.
- Marubeni Corporation deferred prosecution agreement (2012)
Marubeni Corporation entered a DOJ deferred prosecution agreement in January 2012 as an agent in the Bonny Island LNG bribery scheme. Penalty and terms.
- McKinsey Africa deferred prosecution agreement (2024)
McKinsey Africa entered a three-year US DPA on 5 December 2024 over bribery in South Africa. Amounts, admissions and the NPA resolution.
- Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) FCPA resolution (2019)
MTS and its Uzbek subsidiary KOLORIT resolved US bribery charges for US$850 million in March 2019. DPA, guilty plea, SEC order, monitor and extension.
- Och-Ziff deferred prosecution agreement and OZ Africa guilty plea over DRC and Libya bribery (2016)
Och-Ziff entered a DOJ deferred prosecution agreement on 29 September 2016 and its OZ Africa unit pleaded guilty, with a parallel SEC order.
- Odebrecht and Braskem guilty pleas and settlements (2016)
In December 2016 Odebrecht and Braskem pleaded guilty to FCPA conspiracy in New York. Amounts, charges, admissions and terms from DOJ and SEC records.
- Petrobras non-prosecution agreement and SEC settlement (2018)
In September 2018 Petrobras signed a DOJ non-prosecution agreement and settled with the SEC. Amounts, the split with Brazil, admissions and terms.
- Petrofac Limited guilty pleas and sentence for failing to prevent bribery (2021)
Petrofac Limited pleaded guilty in October 2021 to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery and was ordered to pay about £77 million.
- Rolls-Royce deferred prosecution agreements in the UK, US and Brazil (2017)
In January 2017 a UK court approved a £497 million SFO deferred prosecution agreement with Rolls-Royce. Counts, amounts, terms and US deal.
- SAP foreign bribery resolutions with DOJ and the SEC (2024)
SAP entered a three-year DOJ deferred prosecution agreement and an SEC order on 10 January 2024. Amounts, admissions, countries and credits.
- SBM Offshore deferred prosecution agreement and SBM USA guilty plea over bribes in five countries (2017)
SBM Offshore N.V. entered a DOJ deferred prosecution agreement and its US unit pleaded guilty in November 2017 over bribes in five countries.
- Securiport and Alex Stewart International PPP False Claims Act settlement (2026)
Securiport and Alex Stewart International agreed to pay US$1,816,943 to settle False Claims Act allegations over PPP loans. No liability was determined.
- Siemens AG FCPA guilty pleas and SEC settlement (2008)
In December 2008 Siemens AG and three subsidiaries pleaded guilty to FCPA offences and settled with the SEC. Charges, amounts, admissions and the monitor.
- Smith and Ouzman Ltd convicted of corruption over Kenya and Mauritania contracts (2014)
A jury convicted printer Smith and Ouzman Ltd and two of its officers in December 2014 over £395,074 in corrupt payments in Kenya and Mauritania.
- Snamprogetti Netherlands deferred prosecution agreement and ENI SEC settlement (2010)
Snamprogetti Netherlands B.V. entered a DOJ deferred prosecution agreement in July 2010 and settled SEC charges with ENI over Bonny Island LNG bribes.
- Standard Bank deferred prosecution agreement (UK, 2015)
The UK's first DPA: Standard Bank plc and the SFO, approved 30 November 2015 over a Tanzania sovereign note deal. Terms, amounts, SEC case and outcome.
- Stericycle FCPA resolution (2022)
Stericycle resolved Latin America bribery charges with DOJ and the SEC in April 2022. Amounts, DPA terms, admissions, monitor and the 2025 dismissal.
- Technip S.A. deferred prosecution agreement and SEC settlement (2010)
Technip S.A. entered a DOJ deferred prosecution agreement and settled SEC charges in June 2010 over Bonny Island LNG bribes in Nigeria. Amounts and terms.
- Telia deferred prosecution agreement and Coscom guilty plea over Uzbekistan bribery (2017)
Telia Company AB entered a DOJ deferred prosecution agreement and its Uzbek unit Coscom pleaded guilty on 21 September 2017 over bribes in Uzbekistan.
- Trafigura FCPA guilty plea over Petrobras bribery (2024)
Trafigura Beheer B.V. pleaded guilty on 28 March 2024 to conspiracy to violate the FCPA over bribes to Petrobras officials. Amounts and terms from DOJ.
- VimpelCom FCPA resolution (2016)
VimpelCom and its Uzbek subsidiary Unitel resolved US and Dutch bribery cases in February 2016. Amounts, charges, admissions, monitor and status.
- Vitol Inc. deferred prosecution agreement over Latin American bribery (2020)
Vitol Inc. entered a DOJ deferred prosecution agreement on 3 December 2020 over bribes in Brazil, Ecuador and Mexico, with a parallel CFTC resolution.
- Willbros Group deferred prosecution agreement and SEC settlement (2008)
Willbros Group and Willbros International entered a DOJ deferred prosecution agreement in May 2008 over bribes in Nigeria and Ecuador. Amounts and terms.
- World Bank debarment of Alstom Hydro France and Alstom Network Schweiz AG (2012)
On 22 February 2012 the World Bank debarred two Alstom units for three years and Alstom agreed restitution of about US$9.5 million over a Zambia project.
- World Bank debarment of SNC-Lavalin Inc. over the Padma Bridge project (2013)
On 17 April 2013 the World Bank debarred SNC-Lavalin Inc. and over 100 affiliates for 10 years under a negotiated resolution over the Padma Bridge project.
By regulator
- DOJ Criminal Division Fraud Section, its FCPA Unit and U.S. Attorneys' Offices
How the DOJ Criminal Division Fraud Section, renamed in 2026, and its FCPA Unit resolve corporate cases, and where U.S. Attorneys' Offices fit.
- SEC Division of Enforcement and its FCPA unit: administrative orders and civil actions
How the SEC Division of Enforcement brings cases, the difference between SEC administrative orders and federal court actions, and FY2025 totals.
- UK Serious Fraud Office: powers, deferred prosecution agreements and prosecutions
The UK Serious Fraud Office: its legal basis under the Criminal Justice Act 1987, section 2 powers, DPAs and prosecutions, and where it publishes.
- World Bank Group sanctions system: INT, OSD, the Sanctions Board and the debarred firms list
The World Bank's two-tier sanctions system: INT investigates, OSD and the Sanctions Board decide, and debarred firms are listed. FY2025 totals.
Settlements Explained is a public-interest reference site. It is not a government website. Our methodology page explains how we check every figure.