Anti-Corruption Committee

2023 Anti-Corruption Survey

Corruption affects us all – no jurisdiction is immune and efforts to improve anti-corruption laws, regulations, enforcement and compliance must remain constant.

The fight against corruption is a priority for many countries, with enhanced focus currently reported in China, Ukraine, the US and parts of Latin America, all noting that the corrosive impact of bribery and corruption undermines government and civil society efforts to improve sustainability, create legitimate climate crisis solutions and ensure a healthy financial environment, among others. The notion of justice ceases to have meaning without trying to prevent and address corruption.

The International Bar Association has recently launched an anti-corruption survey for the legal profession. Available in four languages (English, French, Spanish and Portuguese), we want to understand the issues faced by lawyers around the world, their awareness of the risks, the laws and the international implications. Only with data can we determine most effective action.

Calling all lawyers around the world – this will take less than ten minutes to participate and help us address the issues for the legal profession. The link the short survey is below.

Ukraine: IBA Anti-Corruption Committee creates taskforce to aid reconstruction efforts (published 2022

The International Bar Association (IBA) has created a special task force to help Ukraine address, and avoid, the common pitfalls countries make during the reconstruction process following war or natural disasters. The Task Force will focus on anti-corruption and compliance-related matters with the aim of helping to reduce the loss of valuable international community resources to corrupt practices. It is often reported that jurisdictions trying to rebuild after devastation do not receive resources intended for them due to corruption and/or poor compliance controls.

The Anti-Corruption Committee’s Submission to OECD Draft Risk Assessment Toolkit for SMEs (published 2021)

Having an appropriate risk assessment is a key step to help mitigate bribery and corruption risks before they materialise, and this risk assessment toolkit will assist SMEs, especially those that are new entrants to global supply chains, in formulating their anti-bribery and anti-corruption compliance policies appropriate for their industry sector, size and available resources. This submission focuses on the regulatory requirements and best practices adapted in key jurisdictions, namely the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Italy, which will enable SMEs to detect, monitor, counter and manage the challenges of bribery and corruption.

'Going for Broke': Can insolvency proceedings help recover corrupt assets? (published 2019)

Acknowledging the high price of corruption, some governments and international institutions are attempting to return stolen assets to public coffers. The UNODC-World Bank Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR) is committed to supporting such efforts.

A recently launched new book - Going for Broke, written by StAR jointly with the IBA, through the Asset Recovery Subcommittee of the Anti-Corruption Committee, outlines an underutilized way to pursue the restitution of corrupt funds: insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings. These proceedings offer a suite of alternative tools and procedures that can, in certain circumstances, cut through the red tape and return stolen assets to victims.

Structured Settlements for Corruption Offences: Towards Global Standards (published 2018)

In 2016, the Structured Criminal Settlements Subcommittee (SCSS) of the IBA Anti-Corruption Committee commenced a two-year project entitled, ‘Towards Global Standards in Structured Settlements for Corruption Offences.’ The objective of this project was to map the evolving settlement practices for corruption cases of countries across the globe. The project hopes to add to the growing discussion on whether, and to what extent, there is a need for global standards.

Anti-Corruption Law and Practice Report 2017: Innovation in Enforcement and Compliance

This report, produced by the Drivers of Corruption Subcommittee, outlines the latest trend and debates in enforcement and compliance innovation.

It explores seven key areas at the centre of reform and debate: negotiated/structured settlements; corporate criminal liability; corruption and human rights; whistleblowing; internal investigations; collective action; and corporate compliance and behavioural regulation.

Anti-Corruption Strategy for the Legal Profession

An IBA, OECD and UNODC initiative to raise awareness of international corruption among legal professionals.