Trade Compliance Risks from Abusive General Terms and Conditions of Purchase

Trade compliance is a two-way street, namely the potential costs and risks should be analysed and monitored from selling (exporting) and buying (importing) perspective. The case of First Brands Group (FBG) shows how the trade compliance risks and costs were probably overlooked for years from both sides, namely as importer of finished spare parts and as a domestic seller/distributor of them. Now, the US prosecutors are indicting the founders of FBG on financial fraud charges after the company filed for bankruptcy in September last year. (First Brands founder indicted on US fraud charges, The Financial Times Limited 2026) This article briefly describes the FBG case and how trade compliance risks should be identified from abusive general terms and conditions of purchase.