Freeh Group Europe is a global crisis management and risk management consulting firm headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. The firm advises clients in the areas of corporate compliance, investigations,

due diligence Due diligence is the investigation or exercise of care that a reasonable business or person is normally expected to take before entering into an agreement or contract with another party or an act with a certain standard of care. It can be a l ...

, and

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...

. Former

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

Director Louis Freeh has been the firm’s Honorary Chairman since its establishment in 2009.

Overview

Freeh Group Europe is an independent consultancy whose clients include corporations in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical, sporting, technology, and logistics sectors. Freeh Group Europe is affiliated with the U.S.-based firm Freeh Group International Solutions LLC and the law firm Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan LLP, whose founding partners include Stanley Sporkin, former General Counsel of the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

, and Eugene Sullivan, former Chief Judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces The United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (in case citations, C.A.A.F. or USCAAF) is an Article I court that exercises worldwide appellate jurisdiction over members of the United States Armed Forces on active duty and other pers ...

. In addition to its Zurich headquarters, the firm maintains offices in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, and

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

. Its consultants include lawyers, accountants, forensic technology specialists, industry experts, and former law enforcement agents.

History

In 2010, Freeh was appointed for a three-year term as an independent compliance monitor in the deferred prosecution agreement between the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

and

Daimler AG The Mercedes-Benz Group AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacture ...

. In 2011, Freeh Group Europe was engaged by the

FIFA Ethics Committee The FIFA Ethics Committee is one of FIFA's three judicial bodies. It is organized in two chambers, the ''Investigatory Chamber'' and the ''Adjudicatory Chamber''. Its duties are regulated by several official documents, most importantly the ''FIF ...

to investigate allegations of bribery at the global sporting organization. The Freeh Group inquiry uncovered evidence that former FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam offered cash to

Caribbean Football Union The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) is the representative organization for football associations in the Caribbean. It represents 25 FIFA member nations, as well as 6 territories that are not affiliated to FIFA. The Union was established in Januar ...

officials in exchange for their votes in the Federation’s presidential election at the

61st FIFA Congress The 61st FIFA Congress was held between 31 May and 1 June 2011 at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland. FIFA is the governing body of world association football, and the congress is the annual meeting of FIFA's supreme legislative body. This i ...

. This inquiry led to the resignation of FIFA vice president, Trinidadian Jack Warner, as well as a lifetime ban against participation in the organization for bin Hammam. In the United States, Freeh has been retained to conduct an investigation into allegations of abuse at Pennsylvania State University, and has been appointed as trustee for the

MF Global MF Global, formerly known as Man Financial, was a major global financial derivatives broker, or commodities brokerage firm that went bankrupt in 2011. MF Global provided exchange-traded derivatives, such as futures and options as well as over-t ...

bankruptcy case.

Key people

*Louis Freeh, honorary chairman, former director of the FBI *José Hernandez, CEO, former partner at

PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers is an international professional services brand of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting ...

and faculty member at

VU University Amsterdam The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research ...

*John Rahie, senior partner, former general counsel of General Motors Europe and member of GM’s legal team during a 1990s industrial espionage and racketeering dispute with

Volkswagen AG Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...

External links

freehgroup.eu
, official website
freehgroup.com
official website of Freeh Group International Solutions LLC
freehsporkinsullivan.com
official website of Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan LLP

References

{{reflist Swiss companies established in 2009