29/10/2014 - Brazil must build on the positive momentum started with its new Corporate Liability Law and its first indictments in one foreign bribery case to investigate and prosecute more proactively foreign bribery. Since Brazil joined the Convention in 2000, of the 14 allegations identified in the report, only five have been investigated and three investigations are still ongoing – a very low number in light of the size of Brazil’s economy.
The OECD Working Group on Bribery has just completed its report on Brazil’s implementation of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, and related instruments. The Group’s Recommendations include:
The report also highlighted positive aspects of Brazil’s efforts to fight foreign bribery. The new Corporate Liability Law was recognised as a significant step, provided it can be enforced effectively. The Working Group noted that the Brazilian government, and in particular the Office of the Comptroller General, has worked to ensure companies are aware of the new law and to encourage the adoption of compliance programs. Brazil has also increased its co-operation with other countries in its investigations.
The Working Group on Bribery – made up of the 34 OECD member countries plus Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Latvia, Russia and South Africa – adopted Brazil’s report in its third phase of monitoring implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention. The Report lists all of the recommendations of the Working Group to Brazil on pages 68-75, and includes an overview of recent enforcement actions and specific legal, policy and institutional features of the Brazil’s framework for fighting foreign bribery. Brazil will submit a written report in six months and one year on progress made in implementing certain key recommendations. As with other Working Group members, Brazil will also submit a written report to the Working Group within two years on steps it has taken to implement the new recommendations. This report will also be made publicly available.
For further information, journalists are invited to contact Lynn Robertson, OECD Anti-Corruption Division Counsellor, e-mail Lynn.Robertson@oecd.org; + (33) 1 45 24 18 77.
For more information on OECD’s work to fight corruption, please visit www.oecd.org/daf/nocorruption.
Related Documents