18/10/2007 - The OECD Working Group on Bribery has today issued a letter to Argentina, outlining its serious concerns about the postponement by Argentina of a visit to the country by an international team of experts. Pursuant to the OECD Convention on Bribery in International Business Transactions, a team of experts was scheduled to visit Argentina on Monday 24 – Friday 28 September 2007. The Argentine government requested to postpone the on-site visit to a specific later date, and then agreed with the Working Group to reschedule the visit for 10-14 December 2007. The Group underlines that thirty-four members of the Working Group have undergone on-site visits and that this is only the second time that an examined country has failed to receive the evaluation team just prior to its commencement according to the agreed Working Group schedule.

The Convention requires State Parties to participate in a mutual evaluation exercise which monitors the Convention’s implementation in each member country. A crucial part of the exercise is an on-site visit to each member country by a team of experts from other countries. A last-minute postponement of the agreed date for an on-site visit can seriously disrupt the ongoing monitoring by the Working Group of compliance with the Convention.

For further information, journalists are invited to contact Patrick Moulette, OECD’s Anti-Corruption Division (tel. 33 1 45 24 91 02).