Despite substantial internal efforts, AKA was unable to gather significant legal evidence or quantify damages. Difficulty lay with the complex and rigid labor and tax laws in place in Italy, as well as a lack of honest cooperation from the subsidiary’s legal and financial consultants. Certain of misconduct, or at least significant operating errors, the company was unable to pierce Italy’s foreign business culture and lacked a trusted resource to effectively investigate their concerns. But AKA knew steps had to be taken to remedy the situation.
Upon referral from another multinational corporation, AKA contacted Pyramid Intnl., a Bologna, Italy-based investigative and security services firm specializing in assisting companies with investigations and other corporate security measures throughout Italy and Southern Europe. Specifically, the firm had spent more than 30 years working with labor lawyers, legal counsel, financial consults and government entities in Italy, developing a strong understanding of Italian and European business and legal practices. AKA hired the firm to investigate their fraud and theft concerns at the Italian subsidiary, examine documentation from previous internal investigative efforts and determine if enough evidence could be found of fraud to warrant a full-fledged investigation into previous years.