The global regulatory environment in the area of anti-corruption and anti-money laundering has intensified significantly over the last 10 years.
In Portugal, with the recent approval of the so-called Anti-Corruption Package, companies with more than 50 employees now have a set of obligations that require a practical and integrated approach to making business compatible with legal requirements.
The Portuguese-speaking countries, particularly Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde and East Timor, have taken a robust approach to adopting anti-corruption legislation, and their legal frameworks are now in line with international standards. The challenge for companies operating in these jurisdictions is to navigate a business environment with regulatory and practical peculiarities that are quite different from those found in Europe or the US, for example, without sacrificing scrupulous compliance with the law.
Melo Alves regularly assists companies in various sectors (e.g. distribution, oil and gas, real estate, health, commerce in general) in setting up or adapting compliance systems to the reality and regulatory environment in which they operate. We use our experience in investigations and criminal defense to assist clients in designing or revising compliance programs, internal policies, procedures and training in order to enhance rather than disrupt business operations.
Internal investigations are also an area in which Melo Alves has extensive experience, namely in crisis management, company reputational protection, assistance in situations of internal fraud, corruption in the private and public sectors.
Our compliance and internal investigations services are sometimes provided in conjunction with other internationally renowned law firms that require the expertise of our team to assist with wider internal investigations or to adapt compliance systems to local legal and practical environment.
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