DoJ Mulls Changes to Corporate Monitoring Program

Government lawyers are seeking to increase transparency and expertise within the Justice Department monitoring program, which obliges certain companies to hire a third-party expert, approved by the Department, to review the target company’s operations and compliance over a period of several years.

Under current practice, it is unclear why some companies are selected for the program while others are not, and the generous compensation awarded to monitors can create the impression of a conflict of interest for companies who repeatedly nominate the same candidates. While specific improvement targets have yet to be laid out, a former DoJ anti-fraud expert has proposed creating a separate monitoring agency, which would prevent corporations targeted by the program from nominating their own monitors. (Wall Street Journal)