The U.S. SEC has now adopted a revised final rule designed to award whistleblowers who voluntarily provide original information to the SEC regarding violations of securities laws where the enforcement action leads to monetary sanctions totalling more than $1 million. The rules also seek to support internal compliance programs by making a whistleblower eligible for an award if the information is reported internally but results in the company informing the SEC about the violations. As we discussed in November 2010, the SEC released a draft proposal last year, and the final rule reflects changes made in response to public comments on the draft.
The provisions may be of particular interest to Canadian companies since, while foreign officials and employees of state-owned enterprises are excluded from the whistle-blower program, employees of foreign companies could be eligible for rewards.
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