How can companies eliminate bribery? The question matters because the original article estimates that bribery costs the world more than one trillion dollars.
Bribery harms economic development and delays social justice in the distribution of wealth. In effect, it becomes easier to bypass rules in exchange for a financial benefit than to follow established procedures.
The article states that Mexico recorded slightly more than 25,000 bribery-related offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, a figure it presented as a challenge for the administration of then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
International cases
In Spain, the article cites the Greens as saying that corruption caused losses of 90 million euros, far exceeding the investment allocated to some other projects.
One of the most complex bribery cases in Latin America in 2018 involved the Brazilian company Odebrecht. The company bribed businesspeople, public institutions, and unions to secure large-scale engineering projects.
According to the United States Department of Justice, the total in bribes paid by Odebrechtwas estimated at $788 million across more than 100 construction projects in 11 Latin American countries. The article says the resulting corruption reached political leaders, including Cristina Kirchner.
The article also quotes then-United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on how corruption harms people, communities, education, health, elections, and the rule of law.
How can bribery be eliminated in companies?
Taken together, these examples invite us to think about how companies can eliminate bribery, a recurring form of corruption around the world.
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