* Sarbanes-Oxley Act (U.S. Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of Passed into U.S. law in July 2002 following a series of corporate accounting scandals, the law aims to restore investor trust in the stock markets by strengthening the eff ectiveness of corporate governance and reinforcing the independence of auditing boards and independent auditors, while adding new penalties for corporate management in the event of accounting misconduct.