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Fighting Global Corruption: Business Risk Management

Information for Global Businesses and Organizations on Navigating the International Anticorruption Environment, May 2000

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"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

CORRUPTION: WHY IT MATTERS

Increasingly, in many parts of the world, companies and governments alike have recognized that corruption raises the costs and risks for doing business. Both sectors are working together to combat this problem and to enhance governance and transparency in global economies.

Corruption has a corrosive impact on both market opportunities overseas and the broader business climate. It also deters foreign investment, stifles economic growth and sustainable development, distorts prices, and undermines legal and judicial systems. More specifically, corruption is a problem in international business transactions, economic development projects, and government procurement activities.

The Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee Report of April 2000 states that from mid-1994 through April 1999, the U.S. Government learned of significant allegations of bribery by foreign firms in 294 competitions for international contracts valued at $145 billion. The report also states that the practice is global in scope, with 133 firms from 43 countries implicated in offering bribes for contracts in 96 buyer countries over the five-year period.

As a result of this problem, and to obtain a competitive advantage in the global markets of the 21st Century, a growing number of businesses are taking proactive steps to detect and prevent corruption.

DEVELOPING AN ANTICORRUPTION STRATEGY: DETECTION AND PREVENTION MEASURES FOR BUSINESSES

Since 1977, U.S. law has prohibited offers, promises, or payments to foreign officials, political parties, political officials, and candidates to secure business. A company running afoul of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), or recently enacted anticorruption laws of other countries, may subject itself to criminal charges and substantial fines. Companies in these situations may also face loss of financing and insurance from national or international institutions and debarment from public contracting. Companies committing FCPA violations may also sustain damage to their reputations and their ability to compete for international business. See Appendix A for more information on the FCPA -- Antibribery Provisions.

Developing a comprehensive "anticorruption" compliance program as part of your company's standard business practice -- and that of your foreign subsidiaries -- may limit your company's risk and help avoid potential costs. An anticorruption compliance strategy can also help to protect your company's reputation, minimize its liability, and maintain its long-term viability.

Not all companies' needs are the same. A compliance program should be tailored to fit your company's needs and circumstances (e.g., the type of management structure and size of company).

GENERAL ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE CORPORATE COMPLIANCE PROGRAM

An effective corporate compliance program is one that ultimately yields intended results: education, detection, and deterrence.

In structuring your corporate compliance program, you may want to consider the following general elements typically found in successful compliance programs.

The measures listed above are general elements for developing an anticorruption corporate compliance program. Note that compliance programs' emphasis on specific elements will vary from one company to another depending on the particular risks engendered by the company's business (e.g., antitrust, healthcare fraud, or environmental issues).

You should seek the advice of legal counsel to learn more about what kind of corporate compliance program is most appropriate for your business.

ACCOUNTABILITY -- GOOD GOVERNANCE IS GOOD FOR BUSINESSES AND GOVERNMENTS

"A responsible corporate citizen is also a citizen in the democratic process."

The emphasis on good governance is timely. Globalization has put a premium on developing the incentives and adjustments necessary to attract investments and capital in foreign markets.

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"Accountability, transparency, disclosure,protection of shareholders' rights and building long-term value are the core values of good corporate governance. These values are also the pillars of a functioning market economy." _________________________________________________________________________________

You are the most effective advocate in the fight against corruption because you play a part in controlling jobs and investment in the global economy.

Good corporate governance procedures provide fair, reliable, and transparent rules that foster trust and confidence for doing business. As corporate citizens, businesspeople are members of and leaders in their communities. Your efforts to establish and adhere to corporate codes of conduct and personal ethical standards have a beneficial effect that ripples through the community. By working with governments and civil society to promote good governance in global economies, your company will help foster a synergy between economic goals and social progress.

Good governance principles for governments, such as those listed on page 9, also benefit their economies. Good governance reduces market volatility, encourages foreign direct investment and capital inflows, promotes sustainable economic growth, and produces a more equitable distribution of resources to the people ("fruits of development").

While it is increasingly clear that corporate governance and sound business practices are generally good for business, good governance practices by governments also enhance the integrity of the markets and promote the integration of economies into the global trading system.

Thus, governments and businesses alike have a mutual interest in working together to strengthen public-private governance practices that promote and reward efficiency, innovation, and openness. Moreover, public and corporate governance principles are also important in nurturing the investment climate and building a more democratic rule of law-based society.

RECOGNIZING AND MAKING ANTICORRUPTION ISSUES PART OF THE BUSINESS-GOVERNMENT DIALOGUE

"Think Globally, Act Locally."

As you conduct your business overseas, or if you are considering entering a new foreign market, let foreign government officials and business partners know that anticorruption and good governance policies will help their economy -- and your company -- sustain long-term growth.

Government policies, such as the following, that emphasize transparency, due process, and accountability, make for a strong anticorruption regime:

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PROMOTING GOOD BUSINESS PRACTICES IN TRANSITIONAL ECONOMIES

One way to achieve increased participation of the private sector in the fight against corruption is through promoting business integrity as well as accountability and transparency in commercial relations between private firms and government authorities. Written codes of conduct and professional standards, even if adopted by only a handful of companies, can influence and alter certain behavior and attitudes over time.

Implementation of codes of conduct and professional standards can also help build public trust and confidence in business and political institutions, lead to greater public awareness and support of ethical behavior, and encourage the development of a business culture that is based on ethical values.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, in cooperation with the U.S.-Russia Business Development Committee and the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has developed Basic Guidelines for Codes of Business Conduct to promote good business practices and ethical behavior in commercial relations between private firms as well as with government officials.

The Basic Guidelines are meant to serve as a foundation for companies to develop and adopt their own codes of conduct taking into account applicable laws, regulations, and other circumstances, such as the size and structure of the businesses.

Among the general principles and standards outlined in the Basic Guidelines are:

One of the U.S. Department of Commerce's key priorities is to work with the OECD to develop an international set of guidelines for promoting good business practices in transitional economies.

The Basic Guidelines for Codes of Business Conduct (described above) can be found in English on http://www.mac.doc.gov and in English and Russian on http://www.bisnis.doc.gov/bisnis/country/rusfed.htm _________________________________________________________________________________

U.S. EFFORTS TO COMBAT GLOBAL CORRUPTION: LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD

Business thrives on competition. U.S. companies and workers can compete with the best in the global marketplace because of their drive, innovation, and quality products and services. However, their success depends heavily on their ability to compete on a level playing field. Bribery and corruption tilt the playing field and create unfair advantages for those willing to engage in unethical or illegal behavior. Corrupt practices penalize companies that play fair and seek to win contracts through the quality and price of their products and services.

In 1977, the United States enacted the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), effectively outlawing offers, promises, and payments by U.S. firms to foreign officials, political parties, party officials and candidates to secure business advantage. See Appendix A for more information on the FCPA-Antibribery Provisions.

Since then, the United States has been trying to level the playing field by encouraging other industrialized countries to take similar steps -- and these efforts are finally paying off. There has been real progress in building an international coalition to fight bribery and public corruption so that all businesses may fairly compete in the global market place.

One significant milestone is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, commonly known as the OECD Bribery Convention, which entered into force in February 1999.

The OECD Bribery Convention, signed by 34 countries, marks a sea change in the fight against corruption by obligating its parties to criminalize the bribery of foreign public officials in the conduct of international business.

The OECD Bribery Convention also requires parties to: apply "effective, proportionate and dissuasive criminal penalties" to those who bribe; establish liability of "legal persons" (i.e., corporations, partnerships, and similar business entities) or impose comparable civil sanctions or fines; make bribery a predicate offense for money laundering legislation; improve accounting procedures; prohibit off-the-books accounts; and provide mutual legal assistance and extradition in cases falling under the Convention.

Significantly, the OECD Bribery Convention establishes a mutual evaluation process within the OECD to monitor each participating country's implementation of the obligations under the Convention and enforcement of relevant national laws.

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Since corruption is an enduring phenomenon that can be controlled but never eliminated, processes for mutual evaluation can be an effective means to maintain norms for government actions globally and regionally, and they can provide the political incentive for governments to implement and enforce those actions. _________________________________________________________________________________

Further information relating to the OECD Bribery Convention can be found at http://www.oecd.org/daf/nocorruption/index.htm, or http://www.state.gov/www/issues/ economic/bribery.html, or http://www.ita.doc.gov/legal.

KEY GOALS OF U.S. INTERNATIONAL ANTICORRUPTION POLICY:

THE EMERGING GLOBAL ANTICORRUPTION ENVIRONMENT

Many international organizations have been making strides in addressing international bribery in business transactions, official public corruption, and transparency issues.

In addition to the OECD, the Organization of American States (OAS), the Council of Europe (COE), the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Global Coalition for Africa (GCA) and the United Nations have launched a variety of anticorruption and transparency initiatives.

These initiatives represent important steps in building coalitions to combat corruption. For more than a decade, the U.S. government has worked cooperatively with the private sector and international organizations on these and other anticorruption initiatives.

U.S. and international legal and business associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) -- such as the American Bar Association (ABA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Ethics Officer Association (EOA), and Transparency International (TI) -- have played key advisory roles in the development of various anticorruption initiatives. We will continue to work with these and other private sector groups to provide and receive guidance on improving the climate of governance worldwide.

With respect to the emerging international anticorruption environment, the unifying concept in all of the global and regional processes is that effective action to prevent, detect, and punish corruption must be taken by each individual government. The international community can advance this process by raising the visibility and political profile of these efforts.

The international business community and NGOs are working together to identify clear and objective actions of what should be expected of governments, what governments may expect of each other, and what ultimately their citizens should, through democratic processes, require of their governments. In working with other nations, the United States continues to encourage a broad range of global and regional anticorruption and transparency initiatives. Such measures strengthen the political will for cooperation on building capacities for action against corruption and for developing effective measures and practices to promote public integrity.

AFRICA

In February 1999, under the auspices of the Global Coalition for Africa (GCA), 11 African countries adopted 25 anticorruption principles that encourage implementation of common standards at the national level, as well as joint action between and among countries. These principles could also form the basis of more formal cooperative frameworks at the regional or subregional levels.

THE AMERICAS

At the 1994 Miami Summit of the Americas, the 34 leaders of the Western Hemisphere called for negotiations of an hemispheric convention against corruption. In March 1996, under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption ("Inter-American Convention") was adopted. The Inter-American Convention covers corrupt practices on both the national and international level. Furthermore, it commits nations to reforming their criminal codes to bring domestic law into compliance with the convention. The OAS is also exploring ways to develop a viable monitoring and review mechanism relating to the Inter-American Convention.

ASIA-PACIFIC

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is promoting economic reforms that enhance governance and transparency and create better investment and business climates to attract foreign direct investment. Its work builds on existing commitments of APEC Leaders (Presidents and Prime Ministers) and a broad range of programs in APEC, including in the areas of investment, customs procedures, competition policy, government procurement, corporate governance, and regional financial markets. Many programs involve the private sector as integral participants in developing, carrying out, and assessing activities aimed at increasing transparency and promoting good corporate governance.

EUROPE

The Council of Europe (COE) is active in a number of anticorruption initiatives and has adopted several conventions, including both Criminal and Civil Law Conventions on Corruption, which were opened for signature in 1999. The Criminal Law Convention on Corruption is broad in scope, requiring parties to criminalize bribery (both giving and receiving) of public officials and private persons, domestic and foreign. Implementation of the Convention will be monitored by GRECO, the Group of States Against Corruption, which will also monitor compliance with the "20 Guiding Principles" adopted in 1997 by the COE's Council of Ministers. The European Union (EU), the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe also are working on various anticorruption initiatives. See Appendix B for more information.

WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION

Through binding commitments to ensure transparency and due process in a wide range of government activities relating to international trade, the WTO makes an important contribution to international efforts to combat bribery and corruption. Most WTO members have endorsed efforts to conclude a multilateral agreement on transparency in government procurement, under which all 135 members would make binding international commitments to ensure transparency and predictability in their government procurement procedures. Similarly, an initiative on trade facilitation would help eliminate irregularities in WTO members' customs regimes, another area of economic activity that is frequently susceptible to corrupt practices.

UNITED NATIONS

In June 1999, the G-8 Koln Communiqué applauded the results of the U.S. Vice President's Global Forum of February 1999 (see below) and called on the United Nations, in the context of negotiating a convention against transnational organized crime, to include an obligation to make corruption of domestic public officials a criminal offense. In December 1999, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution that requested the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of a Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) to explore the desirability for a more comprehensive international instrument against corruption after the finalization of the TOC Convention and three accompanying protocols.

GLOBAL FORUM ON FIGHTING CORRUPTION

The First Global Forum on Fighting Corruption, hosted by U.S. Vice President Gore in February 1999, has added momentum to our broader anticorruption campaign. Participants from 90 governments agreed to a final conference declaration calling on governments to adopt principles and effective practices to fight corruption, to promote transparency and good governance, and to create ways to assist each other through mutual evaluation. At the conclusion of the First Global Forum, the Netherlands agreed to host the Second Global Forum, now scheduled for May 2001. The Vice President committed the U.S. Government to cosponsor this conference.

The First Global Forum identified a set of 12 Guiding Principles that encompass the goals or purposes that a national anticorruption effort must address. These Guiding Principles include aspects relating to:

APPENDIX C

BIBLIOGRAPHY*

* The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, 15 U.S.C. 78m, 78dd-1, 78f (1988). [Public Law 95-213, 91 Stat. 1494, as amended by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, Public Law 100-418, sections 5001-5003 (H.R. 4848), and the International Antibribery and Fair Competition Act of 1998 (S.2375).]

OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, 37 I.L.M. 1 (1998). [Adopted November 21, 1997, Signed December 17, 1997.]

OECD Commentaries on the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions 37 I.L.M. 1, 8 (1998). [Adopted by the Negotiating Conference on November 21, 1997.]

Council of Europe, Criminal Law Convention on Corruption, January 27, 1999, ETS No. 173.

Council of Europe, Civil Law Convention on Corruption, November 4, 1999, ETS No.174.

Istanbul OSCE Summit 1999 -- Charter for European Security. Rule of Law and Fight Against Corruption.

Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, Anti-Corruption Initiative and Compact of the Stability Pact.

Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, OEA/Ser.K/XXXIV.1, CICOR/doc.14/96 rev.2; See also 35 I.L.M. 724. (Adopted March 29, 1996).

Global Coalition for Africa, Principles to Combat Corruption in Africa Countries; Collaborative Frameworks to Address Corruption.

Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF), Forty Recommendations, April 1990, amended 1996.

UN Declaration on Corruption and Bribery in International Business Transaction, GA A/Res/51/191 (December 12, 1996); UN Resolution on International Code of Conduct for Public Officials, GA A/Res/51/59; UN Resolution on International Cooperation Against Corruption and Bribery in International Commercial Transactions, GA A/Res/52/87 (December 12, 1997); UN Draft Transnational Organized Crime Convention (a/AC/254/4/rev.1-7).

World Trade Organization (WTO) -- Working Group on Transparency in Government Procurement Practices.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER READING

International Chamber of Commerce. "Fighting Bribery: A Corporate Practices Manual." Edited by Francois Vincke, Fritz Heimann and Ron Katz, ICC Publishing, Inc., 2000. See also, supra, at ICC Website: "Extortion and Bribery in International Business Transaction," 1999.

American Bar Association, Section of International Law and Practice. "The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: How to Comply Under the New Amendments and the OECD Convention," 1999; "Complying with the FCPA: A Guide for U.S. firms Doing Business in the International Marketplace," 1999; International Practitioners' Workshop Materials. "Elements of an FCPA Violation -- The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: Elements, Due Diligence, and Affirmative Defenses - A Practical Guide," 1999.

Carole L. Basri, Stephen S. Cowen, Joseph Murphy and Gregory J. Wallance. "Corporate Compliance 1999." Practising Law Institute, 1999.

Carole L. Basri, Joseph E. Murphy and Herbert I. Zinn. "Advanced Corporate Compliance Workshop 1999." Practising Law Institute, 1999.

Andrew L. Frey and Michael R. Bromwich. "Practice Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines," 3rd Edition, V.1, Ch. 16 (Sentencing of Organizations), Aspen Law & Business, 1997.

Michael Zeldin and Carlo di Florio. "Global Risk Management Under International Anticorruption Conventions," ACCA Docket (The Journal of the American Corporate Counsel Association) 18, no.1 (2000): 18-45.

Jeffrey M. Kaplan, Joseph E. Murphy and Winthrop Swenson. "Compliance Programs and the Corporate Sentencing Guidelines: Preventing Criminal and Civil Liability." Clark Boardman & Callaghan, 1993.

Stuart H. Deming. "The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: The Accounting and Record-Keeping Provisions," 1999.

John D. Sullivan. "Combating Corruption: A Policy Tool Kit." (1999); "Corporate Governance: Transparency Between Government and Business." [Paper Presented at the Mediterranean Development Forum 3, Cairo Egypt, March 7, 2000.] http://www.cipe.org/efn/corruption.html.

Alan B. Levenson. "Corporate Compliance and the FCPA," Glasser LegalWorks, 1997.

Jeffrey P. Bialos and Gregory Husisian. "Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: Coping with Corruption in Transitional Economies." Oceana, 1997.

Transparency International. "TI Source Book," 1996. (Other useful TI materials can also be found at http://www.transparency.de/documents/

Igor Abramov. "Promoting Good Practice in Russia." Business Information Services for the Newly Independent States (October 1999) [BISNIS Bulletin is published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.] http://www.bisnis.country.codebusru.htm.

Stephen F. Black and Roger M. Witten. "Complying with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act." Matthew Bender, 1997.

The World Bank. "Corporate Governance: A Framework for Implementation." (Follows closely themes discussed at "The Global Corporate Governance Forum" sponsored by the World Bank and the OECD, held in Washington, DC September 1999.) The World Bank Publication, 1999.

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