Russia today took a major step toward upholding international anti-bribery standards by depositing its instrument of accession to the OECD Convention at a ceremony at the OECD in Paris.
OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría received Russia’s instrument of accession from First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Denisov and First Deputy Minister of Justice Fedorov.
Russia will become the 39th Party to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention on 17 April 2012, 60 days after the ceremony.
Russia will undergo systematic reviews of its implementation of its anti-bribery laws, starting with a first examination in 2012. This will be one of 22 reviews the OECD will hold on a wide range of policy areas to assess the country’s ability to meet OECD standards and become a member of the Organisation.
Bribing a foreign public official has been illegal in Russia since May 2011. With its legislation in place, the OECD invited Russia to join the OECD Working Group on Bribery in May 2011 before becoming a Party to the Convention.
The OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, which entered into force in 1999, outlaws the bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions. Through country monitoring and extensive peer-led follow-up, the Convention seeks to ensure that the fight against bribery is effective, thus creating a level playing field for fair competition.
The 34 OECD member countries plus Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria and South Africa are Parties to the Convention.
For further information, journalists are invited to contact the OECD Media Office.