DOJ Doesn’t Have ‘Blank Check’ on Foreign Bribery Cases: Official

The Justice Department isn’t planning to use a recent trial victory against a former Alstom S.A. executive on bribery and money laundering charges as a “blank check” to bring U.S. charges against foreign-based executives, a top official said.

Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski, in remarks before a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act conference in Oxon Hill, Md., attempted to assuage concerns with how the DOJ might employ so-called agency liability in future actions.

This theory, which prosecutors have used to go after non-U.S. persons and entities deemed to be “agents” of a U.S. company, was central to the DOJ’s case against ...