Some country-specific factors play a strong role, including: independence of judges and magistrates; the degree of national sentiment disapproving conduct revealed in an anti-bribery enforcement proceeding against a national champion company; the general effectiveness of the country’s justice system; and the degree to which prosecutors are free to aggressively pursue cases.
Mr. Bonucci and other participants cited evidence of continued progress in international anti-bribery efforts. Examples included the Siemens settlement with the Greek parliament regarding allegations of bribery during the 2008 Summer Olympics and the recent suspension by the World Bank of a loan to Bangladesh because of significant bribery concerns. Also noted was the considerable potential of the OECD’s informal mechanism for reporting government officials’ solicitation of bribes to strike at the “demand side” of bribery.”
