Criminalizing Corruption – New Criminal Provisions On Private Bribery

Raised awareness

Summer 2015 saw some high profile police arrests in an up-market Zurich hotel. Special police force members apprehended several executives of FIFA bodies. A New York court had requested their arrest and extradition to the United States in connection with allegations that these persons had received bribes in the amount of USD 100 million.

Background

Corruption does not always take such a central and theatrical scene. Bribery is by its nature a clandestine and secretive affair. Nevertheless, the effects of worldwide corruption are vastly damaging. According to estimates by the World Bank, each year 1 trillion US Dollars are paid in bribes (USD 1,000,000,000,000), usually to the detriment of developing countries.