OECD Anti-Bribery Convention

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a Forum where governments of over 30 market democracies work together to address the economic, social and governance challenges of globalisation as well as to exploit its opportunities. It produces internationally agreed instruments, such as the 1997 Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Officials. All existing OECD Countries, including Ireland, have signed this Convention.

The OECD Anti-Bribery Convention is aimed at reducing corruption by encouraging sanctions against bribery in international business transactions, carried out by companies based in Convention Member Countries. The Convention requires that signatory countries must implement a comprehensive set of legal, regulatory and policy measures to prevent and prosecute bribery of foreign public officials.

Legislation has been enacted which means that persons and companies engaged in corruption outside the State may now be prosecuted in Ireland for such offences.

While the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is the central coordinating Department in respect of this Convention, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and its agencies including National Enterprise Hub, Enterprise Ireland, also have an important function in implementing the Convention’s provisions.

In this connection, Enterprise Ireland has been involved in raising awareness of the provisions of the Convention with Irish trade and professional organisations that interact with Irish companies operating abroad and with Enterprise Ireland client companies.

Details of this important Convention are set out in the pdf document below, published by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

Download OECD Convention on Combating Bribery (PDF) 

Further information on the OECD Convention and of the wider Irish Government involvement in this process is explained on www.anticorruption.ie.