If a government passes anti-bribery legislation but then fails to enforce it, does it really care about preventing bribery? The article in the url below reminds us that the enforcement of existing rules and regulations is a choice and that different administrations will put different emphases on different laws according to their own priorities/values/ethics:
"U.S. antibribery enforcement regressed to its mean after a record-setting spike in 2016, according to a report released Tuesday by business antibribery group Trace International."
It is also worth remembering, however, that the level of commitment is a relative measure that varies both within and among countries:
"The U.S. brought 14 foreign bribery cases in 2017, a decline by more than half from the 29 posted a year earlier but roughly in line with the average of the past decade, the group reported. Still, the U.S. brought more cases in 2017 than all other countries combined, Trace said."
So, while the U.S. might not care as much as it used to, or as much as it is possible to care, it still may care more than other countries. So, what does this say about our own commitment to preventing bribery, and our own commitment relative to the commitment of others?
"Europe is a focus for U.S. authorities; U.S. probes involving bribes paid by foreign companies and individuals predominately focus on European countries, the study found. Twenty percent of investigations concerning bribes paid by U.S. companies related to payments to European officials, Trace said. … The U.S. has brought more than two-thirds of the foreign-bribery enforcement cases worldwide over the past 40 years but other countries are starting to pick up the pace."
Take care
David
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U.S Pace of Bribery Enforcement Slows
By Samuel Rubenfeld
March 13, 2018
The Wall Street Journal
