Until recently, offering bribes to foreign public officials was considered a standard operating procedure by many companies attempting to enter new markets. But it has become clear that no country can afford the social, political, or economic costs that corruption entails. Consequently, efforts have been undertaken by governments, business, civil society, and international organizations to ensure that bribes no longer constitute a normal business practice.
OECD members and associated countries have outlawed bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions. In 1997, OECD and associated countries adopted two instruments to address bribery:
1. The OECD Revised Recommendation of May 1997, which contains a list of agreed preventive and repressive measures.
2. The binding criminal law Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions Convention of December 1997, which focuses on the criminalization issue.
This book reviews the United States’ laws and rules implementing the Convention as well as their enforcement. The book illuminates the key legislation designed to deter, prevent, and fight corruption.