Transparency International Publishes New Guidance To Counter Small Bribes

In June 2014, Transparency International published new guidance on countering small bribes, including "facilitation payments". Countering small bribes can be exceptionally challenging to companies, according to TI, because payments of these bribes are often entrenched and pervasive, and may be hard for management to detect. Although a number of countries, most notably the US, allow facilitation payments abroad, in most countries these payments and other small bribes are illegal. As such, these bribes must be addressed as a company faces legal risk, reputational damage and operational impact. To avoid or decrease exposure, companies should commit to a culture of integrity and prohibition of small bribes, and should implement programmes to counter small bribes