Skip to main content

SOX: A toothless tiger?

Four years after the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), just a handful of cases have made it to court for violations of the new law. Peter Madigan questions whether there is something wrong with the law itself or if SOX may be proving surplus to requirements in the prosecution of corporate criminals The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) is undoubtedly, first and foremost, a regulatory piece of legislation. Enacted in the wake of the corporate scandals of 2001–02, SOX sets out a raft of measures in a bid to make it harder for corporate fraud to reach the disastrous heights witnessed at Enron and WorldCom.

Despite many column inches covering SOX compliance – and educating executives and compliance officers in precisely what their SOX obligations are – little media coverage has been given to the enforcement of the new law.

Although most compliance officers and risk managers are aware that the penalties for incorrectly certifying corporate accounts have been greatly increased under SOX, there have

Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.

To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@risk.net or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.risk.net/subscribe

You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@risk.net to find out more.

Sorry, our subscription options are not loading right now

Please try again later. Get in touch with our customer services team if this issue persists.

New to Risk.net? View our subscription options

Want to know what’s included in our free membership? Click here

Show password
Hide password

Emerging trends in op risk

Karen Man, partner and member of the global financial institutions leadership team at Baker McKenzie, discusses emerging op risks in the wake of the Covid‑19 pandemic, a rise in cyber attacks, concerns around conduct and culture, and the complexities of…

Most read articles loading...

You need to sign in to use this feature. If you don’t have a Risk.net account, please register for a trial.

Sign in
You are currently on corporate access.

To use this feature you will need an individual account. If you have one already please sign in.

Sign in.

Alternatively you can request an individual account here