How Criminals Justify Their Conduct

Listen to the riveting first-hand story of a Unaoil executive who found himself at the center of a bribery scheme. This episode was originally published in 16 August 2017.

Shaul Shalvi, Professor of Behavioral Ethics at the University of Amsterdam, describes how people convince themselves that their misconduct is okay. This episode was originally published on 21 June 2017.

At the 2025 TRACE Annapolis Forum, Chuck Duross, Global Co-Chair of the FCPA and Global Anti-Corruption Practice at Morrison Foerster, discusses the DOJ's evolving voluntary self-disclosure policies and the balance of risks and rewards for companies. From increased incentives under the 2025 Corporate Enforcement Policy to the challenges of parallel investigations, Charles explores what drives the decision to self-disclose and why it remains one of the toughest calls in compliance today.   This episode was originally published on 15 October 2025.

At the 2025 TRACE Annapolis Forum, Nicola Bonucci, Associate Professor at Paris Cité and former General Counsel of the OECD, reflects on 25 years of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and the evolving challenges of global enforcement. From uncertainties around FCPA guidance, political influence, and uneven implementation, to questions about the U.S.'s continued leadership in anti-bribery efforts, Nicola highlights the risks companies face in an increasingly unpredictable landscape—where cross-border investigations, bribe solicitation, and public scrutiny are on the rise.   This episode was originally published on 24 September 2025.

Joel Bakan joins the podcast to discuss his books, and the films based on them. He outlines the fundamental conflict inherent in companies ostensibly committed to ESG principles while simultaneously driven by a legal requirement to maximize shareholder value.   This episode was originally published on 14 July 2021.  

Dan Seltzer joins the podcast to discuss his experience with shepherding Accenture through a Sapin II compliance audit in France. Dan was a Managing Director and Senior Director of Anticorruption and Government Compliance at Accenture, before leaving last month to join Frost LLP as a partner in their Silicon Valley office.

Michael Forsythe, co-author with Walt Bogdanich of "When McKinsey Comes to Town", joins the podcast to talk about McKinsey's work in support of autocratic regimes, its rampant conflicts of interest and the distance between its stated values and its work on the ground.    This episode was originally published on 18 January 2023.

Richard Conway, Managing Partner at SPECTACLE, and former BBC Sport correspondent, describes the vast state-sponsored Russian doping scandal and how the credibility of global sports is being undermined.   This episode was originally published on 7 February 2018.

Declan Hill discusses the pervasive and sinister nature of match-fixing and how we can prevent sport from being turned into theater.   This episode was originally published on 2 August 2017.    

In this episode, we hear from Leonid Volkov, who spoke at the 2022 TRACE London Forum. Leonid, former Chief of Staff to Alexei Navalny and current Political Director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), discussed the role of corruption in Putin's Russia, as well as the impact of sanctions and the toll that rampant corruption is taking on the country.   This episode was originally published on 5 October 2022.