27 June 2003
Evans Says Major Progress Made in Anti-bribery Campaign
(Commerce secretary details achievements in report for Congress) (590) Major advances have recently been made in implementing an international anti-bribery convention, the U.S. Commerce Department says. In a June 26 news release, Commerce Secretary Don Evans said that all 35 signatories of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) anti-bribery convention now have laws to criminalize the bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions. Evans made the statement in his letter transmitting the annual report -- the fifth of six required by law -- to Congress on implementation of the convention. The report said that in the 12 months since May 1, 2002, fewer contracts have been affected by bribery by foreign firms of foreign officials than in the comparable period of 2001-2002. The report can be viewed at http://www.export.gov/tcc Following is the text of the release: (Note: In the text "billion" equals 1,000 million.) (begin text) U.S. Department of Commerce June 26, 2003 Commerce Report Reveals Major Progress in OECD Antibribery Efforts All Signatories Now Have Laws to Implement Antibribery Convention Commerce Secretary Don Evans today released the fifth-annual report to Congress on implementation of the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (Antibribery Convention). In his letter transmitting the report to Congress, Evans noted that with the adoption in January by Turkey of implementing legislation, all 35 signatories now have laws in force to criminalize the bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions. Only Ireland must still deposit an instrument of ratification with the OECD. "Aggressive enforcement of these important laws must be a priority for each party," Evans said. "I am pleased to report that several parties are investigating or prosecuting cases of bribery of foreign public officials under their implementing laws." Furthermore, the report states that U.S. government estimates that between May 1, 2002, and April 30, 2003, the competition for 40 contracts worth $23 billion may have been affected by bribery by foreign firms of foreign officials. These figures represent a decrease from the 60 contracts and $35 billion estimate for the same period in 2001-2002. The report also states that important enforcement reviews by the OECD Working Group on Bribery of Iceland, Germany and Bulgaria were completed over the past year; a review of Canada is currently underway; and reviews of France and Norway are scheduled for later this year. To support this important work, the Department of Commerce has provided a grant of $100,000 targeted for these compliance reviews. Secretary Evans emphasized that fighting corruption remains the shared responsibility of governments, the private sector and civil society. In particular, he said corporate officers must be responsible corporate stewards because corporations working in free markets can spread the essential values of honest competition and the rule of law. In May 2003, to support future efforts to encourage other parties to investigate cases, the Department of Commerce instructed its Foreign Commercial Officers to bring credible allegations of bribery by foreign competitors to the attention of appropriate U.S. government officials. The July 2003 report on implementation of the OECD Antibribery Convention is the fifth of six annual reports that the Department of Commerce was mandated to submit to Congress under the International Antibribery and Fair Competition Act of 1998 (IAFCA). The IAFCA approved changes in U.S. law to implement the convention. The report and more information are available at: www.export.gov/tcc (end text) (Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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