The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act only allows the prosecution of those who pay bribes, so four members of the House of Representatives have introduced the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act, which would criminalize extortion by foreign officials. This would empower the DOJ to indict officials for demanding bribes to fulfill, neglect, or violate their official duties.
The bill was introduced by Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), John Curtis (R-CT), Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), and Richard Hudson (R-NC). The bill was developed with the support of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, which says it would bring U.S. laws in line with international best practices, and follow parallel laws in the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, and Switzerland.
