Transparency International: US and Germany most active in fighting corporations paying bribes
BERLIN - Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International says a new study shows laws forbidding companies from paying bribes to win or influence foreign contracts have resulted in a rising number of prosecutions.
The Berlin-based agency said in a report released Thursday that of 37 countries that have signed on to the OECD's Anti-Bribery Convention, Germany and the United States — two of the world's three largest exporters — have been most aggressively pursuing investigations and prosecutions.
The report found that by 2011 the U.S. had brought 275 cases against companies, adding 48 new cases since 2010. Germany had 176 total prosecutions, up 41 over the previous year. Japan showed only "moderate enforcement" with 2 cases by 2011 while several countries including Ireland, Greece, Israel and South Africa showed no enforcement at all.
