Greece has failed to promptly investigate a significant foreign bribery case and to provide timely information on its anti-bribery efforts, according to a new report. As a result, the OECD Working Group on Bribery will undertake a second evaluation to further examine Greece’s enforcement efforts. The additional evaluation will also look at recent and upcoming developments, as well as issues which could not be fully assessed in the first evaluation.
The OECD Working Group on Bribery has just completed its report on Greece’s application of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and related instruments.
The Working Group made further recommendations to improve Greece’s fight against foreign bribery, including:
- Seriously investigate and prosecute all foreign bribery cases as appropriate;
- Eliminate the duplicative anti-bribery provisions found in many areas of Greek law;
- Improve awareness of the foreign bribery offence, especially among judges and prosecutors; and
- Enact legislation to protect whistleblowers
The report also notes some positive developments, such as Greece’s efforts to improve its anti-money laundering measures. Greece has also passed legislation to prohibit companies that bribe foreign public officials from obtaining public procurement contracts. Other countries have expressed appreciation of Greece’s provision of mutual legal assistance in foreign bribery cases.
The Working Group on Bribery – made up of the 34 OECD Member countries plus Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Russia and South Africa – adopted its report on Greece in its third phase of monitoring implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.