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Bribery & Corruption

Over 40 years of articles and reference material

A page dedicated to global, regional, UK and US anti-money laundering developments and initiatives.

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GRECO closes its June plenary with fresh country scrutiny, advancing Sixth Round evaluations and follow-up pressure across governments, parliaments, judiciaries and law enforcement

June 16, 2026

The decisions document relates to GRECO’s 103rd plenary meeting, held in Strasbourg from 8 to 12 June 2026, where GRECO adopted Sixth Round evaluation reports on Luxembourg, Slovenia and the United Kingdom covering corruption prevention and integrity at sub-national level. GRECO also adopted compliance reports on Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Armenia, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Montenegro and Serbia, and discussed early lessons from the Sixth Round and its contribution to the EU’s forthcoming Anti-Corruption Strategy.

Cleary Gottlieb brief notes that the EU’s new anti-corruption directive will raise compliance expectations in France, increasing corporate liability, penalties, and enforcement risk

June 15, 2026

The briefing says Directive (EU) 2026/1021 creates the EU’s first single criminal-law framework for corruption offences and will require France to adjust parts of its already developed Sapin II regime, including by introducing a failure-to-supervise basis for corporate liability and recalibrating penalties for legal entities. It recommends that companies operating in France and across the EU prepare ahead of the 2028 transposition deadline by reviewing internal…

New Zealand SFO sharpens its four-year strategy (2023–2027) around high-impact fraud and corruption cases, stronger public-sector counter-fraud capability and a more deliberate focus on technology

June 11, 2026

The Statement of Intent 2026–2030 sets the SFO’s strategic direction for the next four years, reaffirming priorities to target cases with the greatest potential impact, lift counter-fraud culture and capability across the public sector, and strengthen stakeholder relationships. It also adds a stronger technology priority, reflecting the growing role of digital tools in committing, detecting and prosecuting serious fraud and corruption…

OECD’s Justice Review of Moldova highlights progress in EU-linked justice reforms but flags persistent gaps in implementation, coordination, capacity, and integrity that weaken anti-corruption enforcement

June 11, 2026

New report reviews how Moldova’s justice reforms are reshaping the organisation, delivery and user experience of justice, with a focus on public trust, fairness, access to justice and alignment with European standards. It points to the need for stronger implementation capacity, better justice data, improved service delivery and continued institutional reform as Moldova advances its wider EU accession programme…

OECD’s report shows that engaging with National Contact Points helps companies resolve disputes and strengthen due diligence, reducing ESG-related and corruption-linked risks in global supply chains

June 8, 2026

The report examines how companies can benefit from engaging in the OECD National Contact Point grievance process, including through cost-effective dispute resolution, improved stakeholder relationships, stronger due diligence and reduced legal, operational and reputational risk. Drawing on case examples and wider evidence, it also warns that non-engagement can prevent agreement and forgo opportunities to address grievances before…

UK SFO Director outlines plans to build a more proactive, intelligence-led agency through stronger cooperation and international partnerships

June 3, 2026

The speech sets out three priorities for the Serious Fraud Office: working with responsible corporates, becoming a more active enforcer and strengthening its role in the international justice system. McNulty highlights revised corporate co-operation guidance, the Ultra Electronics DPA, investment in intelligence capabilities, greater use of surveillance, support for whistleblower incentivisation and deeper collaboration with US, French and Swiss partners…

U.S. SEC publishes a draft Strategic Plan for public comment by 2 July, outlining priorities to strengthen investor protection, enforcement, market efficiency, and tech-driven regulatory modernisation

June 2, 2026

The draft strategic plan sets three goals: renewing regulatory policy to support innovation, capital formation, market efficiency and investor protection; increasing stakeholder engagement and recalibrating enforcement toward established legal violations; and modernising the SEC’s internal technology, organisational structure and performance management. It also points to work on digital assets, disclosure simplification, private markets, retrospective rule reviews, EDGAR modernisation, responsible use of AI and blockchain, with public comments due by 2 July 2026…

Basel Institute explains how corruption sanctions can help governments target powerful suspects who remain beyond the reach of criminal prosecution

June 2, 2026

Quick Guide 43 introduces corruption sanctions as a tool for imposing restrictions on individuals suspected of serious corruption without requiring a criminal conviction. It explains why governments use them where weak institutions, political protection or limited enforcement capacity block prosecution, while also highlighting concerns around due process, evidence standards and the wider limits of sanctions as an anti-corruption response.

GRECO’s 4th Round Compliance report finds that Hungary has made limited progress, with key anti-corruption standards in parliament, the judiciary, and prosecution still only partially implemented

June 1, 2026

The public summary relates to GRECO’s Fourth Evaluation Round, which examines corruption prevention for members of parliament, judges and prosecutors, including ethics rules, conflicts of interest, asset declarations, enforcement and awareness. GRECO’s country table shows the underlying Hungary report remained confidential when adopted at the 98th Plenary, with only the summary published on 1 June 2026, while later GRECO decisions asked Hungary to report further progress on outstanding Fourth Round recommendations by 31 March 2027…

TI’s ‘Strengthening Public Oversight’ report calls for stronger, more independent oversight institutions and greater transparency to improve accountability and reduce corruption risks in government systems

May 29, 2026

The report sets out good practices for partnerships between civil society organisations and supreme audit institutions across the audit cycle, covering planning, implementation, dissemination and follow-up. Drawing on experiences from Malawi and Zambia, as well as examples from other contexts, it presents practical tools to improve audit relevance, strengthen accountability and increase the impact of audit recommendations…

TI’s ‘Recommendations for the UK Illicit Finance Summit 2026’ urges stronger global cooperation, transparency, and enforcement to close secrecy gaps and combat illicit finance

May 28, 2026

The recommendations paper sets out how participating governments can deliver credible outcomes from the June 2026 London Illicit Finance Summit, which will bring together financial hubs and jurisdictions involved in the generation, movement and storage of illicit wealth. It calls for co-ordinated action to improve cross-border access to property ownership information, close loopholes used by gatekeepers and professional enablers, strengthen accountability for those facilitating illicit finance, and ensure civil society participation and measurable national reforms…

EPPO investigates a suspected €18M fraud involving EU recovery funds in France, examining alleged procurement and subsidy irregularities linked to post-pandemic economic support programmes