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Anti-Bribery and Corruption Laws in Different Countries: A Global Perspective

25 Years of Fighting Foreign Bribery

As the world marks 25 years since the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention came into force in 1999, countries around the globe are working together to combat bribery in foreign business transactions. The convention has established legally binding standards to criminalize bribery of foreign public officials and provides for a host of related measures that make this effective.

Key Developments

This year marks a significant milestone in the fight against foreign bribery, with 46 countries having ratified the Anti-Bribery Convention. These countries span the globe, working to strengthen anti-bribery law and enforcement within their borders and exchanging best practices and experiences across borders.

  • The OECD Working Group on Bribery has conducted an extensive review of the 2009 Anti-Bribery Recommendation to ensure it continues to reflect the range of good practices, trends and challenges that have emerged in the foreign bribery field over the past ten years.
  • In 2021, a new Anti-Bribery Recommendation was adopted by the OECD Council with new measures to reinforce efforts to prevent, detect and investigate foreign bribery.

Fiji’s Efforts

Fiji has made significant strides in combating corruption and bribery. The country has:

  • Ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2018
  • Established an anti-corruption agency to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption and bribery

Global Cooperation

The OECD Working Group on Bribery is committed to fostering international cooperation with practitioners from jurisdictions around the globe to successfully investigate, prosecute and sanction transnational corruption cases.

  • The Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia is a regional outreach programme that supports member countries in their efforts to prevent and combat corruption

Government, Business and Civil Society: Fighting Corruption

Governments, businesses and civil society all have a key role to play in combating bribery and corruption:

  • Governments can establish robust anti-corruption laws and enforcement mechanisms
  • Businesses can implement strong internal controls, ethics and anti-corruption compliance programmes
  • Civil society organizations can advocate for transparency and accountability

Enforcement Cases Overview

Regular overviews are published, tracking the number of enforcement cases across all Parties to the Convention. These overviews include information on the number of criminal, administrative and civil cases of foreign bribery that have resulted in a final disposition.

Conclusion

Fiji’s efforts to combat corruption and bribery are part of a broader global movement to build fairer markets. As the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention continues to be a reference point for action, governments, businesses and civil society must work together to put a stop to bribes and corruption.