UBS Prosecutor Addresses Global Tax Enforcement at BNA Conference in Hong Kong

ARLINGTON, Va., May 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At a time when industrialized countries are heightening their scrutiny of offshore financial centers and the use of offshore accounts in an effort to recover tax revenues, BNA's Tax Management Educational Institute will present a live Executive Briefing, Global Tax Enforcement Developments, June 3, 2010, in Hong Kong, PRC, to help financial institutions, financial professionals and their clients understand and navigate this evolving enforcement environment.

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BNA is pleased that a member of the government prosecution team in United States v. UBS AG, will be joined by attorneys from DLA Piper and faculty from the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Law in this 5-hour briefing.

Topics to be covered include:

• Global Developments: An update on recent exchange of information agreements, G20 actions and developments in the OECD Global Forum on Tax Transparency and Exchange of Information
• U.S. Enforcement Developments: IRS and Department of Justice initiatives on global tax evasion
• U.S. Legislation to Curb International Tax Evasion: A review of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and how it will affect foreign financial institutions and other foreign entities that have U.S. investments
• Hong Kong Developments: An update on actions that Hong Kong has taken to deal with this new exchange of information and enforcement environment
• Financial Institution Compliance: Issues for financial institutions to consider in this new regulatory environment

"Tax authorities are increasing collaboration, obtaining information from other countries heretofore unavailable, and aggressively implementing programs to enforce their internal tax laws," says BNA Tax & Accounting Executive Editor George Farrah. "Offshore financial institutions and their clients who ignore this new reality do so at their own peril," Farrah added.

To register for this event being held at the offices of DLA Piper (Hong Kong) go to http://tinyurl.com/bnahongkong. Pre-registration is required and seating limited.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Financial professionals, general counsel, accountants, consultants and other professionals who counsel financial institutions with respect to offshore operations or accounts or counsel individuals with respect to international cross-border investments.

Speakers:

Jeffrey A. Neiman is an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida where he is assigned to the Economic Crimes Section in Fort Lauderdale.  As an AUSA, Mr. Neiman has prosecuted numerous white collar cases involving securities, mortgage, and healthcare fraud, tax offenses, and other corporate crimes.

Mr. Neiman has experience handling complex, high-profile fraud cases. Most recently, Mr. Neiman helped obtain the deferred prosecution agreement with Switzerland's largest bank, UBS AG, and he is involved with the prosecution of its managers, bankers, and clients. He has also prosecuted executives at large United States corporations, as well as other businessmen.  He has represented the government in several federal jury trials, has directed numerous grand jury investigations, and has litigated countless evidentiary hearings.

Alan Winston Granwell is an international tax partner resident in DLA Piper's Washington, DC office. Mr. Granwell's practice encompasses representing multinational corporations and high-net worth individuals on cross-border transactions and controversies. He conducts an active administrative practice, regularly representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Treasury Department (including negotiating advance pricing agreements, conducting competent authority proceedings, advising taxpayers on voluntary disclosures, assisting clients in obtaining regulatory changes and tax rulings and advising clients on tax legislation matters). From 1981 through 1984, Mr. Granwell was the International Tax Counsel and Director, Office of International Tax Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Patrice Marceau is a partner in the Corporate tax group of DLA Piper Hong Kong specializing in Hong Kong, regional and international taxation. Mr. Marceau has extensive experience advising corporations and high net worth individuals on tax planning and litigation matters. He has advised clients in private practice as well as within the Private Bank of a major financial institution. His practice focuses on tax planning for corporations, particularly with respect to inbound and outbound PRC investment structures. He also advises individuals on estate planning, establishing and advising on the use of trusts for tax planning purposes (particularly from a Canadian perspective). Furthermore, Mr. Marceau has extensive experience advising clients involved in disputes with tax authorities.

Ellis Reemer is a Partner with DLA Piper in New York, where he heads the Tax Controversy and Tax Disputes practice and has more than two decades of experience in tax controversy, tax disputes and tax litigation matters. He concentrates on representing clients in complex federal, state, and local tax controversies and tax litigation.

Mr. Reemer has represented both public and privately held corporations, as well as partnerships, estates, trusts and individuals. He regularly represents accounting firms and accountants in matters involving their obligations under federal and state tax laws.

Jefferson VanderWolk is a Professor of Law with the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Law and a leading international tax lawyer. During his career he has been based in Hong Kong (15 years), London (5 years), the U.S. (3 years) and Cairo (3 years). He has been a law professor, a partner in a global law firm and in a global accounting firm, a senior executive with a global investment bank, and a U.S. government official. He is qualified to practice law in New York, New Hampshire, and England & Wales.

Peter R. Zeidenberg is a litigation partner in the Washington, DC office of DLA Piper, whose primary focus is defending individuals and businesses in white-collar criminal matters and related issues involving corporate governance and internal fraud investigations.

Prior to joining DLA Piper in 2007, Mr. Zeidenberg spent 17 years as a federal prosecutor, both at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he served in both the Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division and, before that, at the United States Attorney's Office in the District of Columbia. Mr. Zeidenberg was also a state prosecutor for five years in Middlesex County, Massachusetts.

While at the Department of Justice, Mr. Zeidenberg investigated and prosecuted local, state and federal officials. His trial experience includes some of the highest profile criminal cases handled by the DOJ. Mr. Zeidenberg served as a Deputy Special Counsel in the investigation and prosecution of Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Mr. Zeidenberg gave the government's closing argument and handled direct examination of half of the government witnesses in the Libby case.

About the Tax Management Educational Institute

Tax Management Educational Institute (TMEI) is the education arm of Tax Management Inc., a subsidiary of The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. TMEI is devoted to the conduct of responsible, professional seminars and conferences of the highest quality dedicated to issues of tax policy and practice, and to the funding of related scholarly endeavors.

SOURCE BNA Tax & Accounting