A commodities company looking at prospects in Africa retained Nardello & Co. to investigate their future partner who held certain licensing rights in the region. This license holder was a well-known and controversial figure, and our client wanted to ascertain the strength of the subject’s in-country connections and whether his reputation would be seen as a “red flag” for FCPA-related issues.

The client asked us to provide high-level intelligence in the form of analysis of the political situation in the target country in order to assess the stability of the political incumbents. Our investigation satisfied the client that their prospective partner did indeed have the connections and experience to get the joint venture to the next stage.

Although allegations had been made against the license holder, those allegations were unsubstantiated, in many cases motivated by commercial and political rivalry, and were found not to present an FCPA risk. Our intelligence report on the political situation also satisfied the client that the joint venture opportunity was viable, both currently and for the long-term.