????According to the recently filed suit by the SEC, Morgan Stanley gave its executive Peterson, a managing director in the company's real estate division, 35 different notifications reminding him of U.S. bribery laws, including specific instructions that payments to an official of a Chinese state-owned company in Shanghai would be against the law. Nonetheless, Peterson arranged to split $1.8 million in secret payments with the Chinese official. He also negotiated a sweetheart deal for himself and the Chinese official to purchase a $3.4 million property from a Morgan Stanley.
????"Peterson crossed the line not once, but twice. He secretly bribed a government official to illegally win business for his employer and enriched himself in violation of his fiduciary duty to Morgan Stanley's clients," said Robert Khuzami, Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement. "This case illustrates the SEC's commitment to holding individuals accountable for FCPA violations, particularly employees who intentionally circumvent their company's internal controls."
