Baker & McKenzie is very pleased to provide you with the 2016 edition of its publication
Global Overview of Anti-Bribery Laws

This publication is the result of the collective efforts of close to 100 of our compliance and investigations practitioners, covering 46 jurisdictions where Baker & McKenzie has local teams with extensive expertise advising clients on compliance and investigations as well as on anti-bribery laws. Bribery, compliance and investigations continue to be some of the main challenges that companies face, both in their domestic markets and abroad. At a global scale, we see an increasing number of countries promulgating new and more sophisticated anti-bribery legislation as well as more aggressive enforcement by the relevant agencies and courts. We also notice increased cooperation between enforcement agencies of different countries as well as more efficient ways of sharing relevant information, resulting in an increase in high profile global anti-corruption cases. As a legal trend, we see more and more countries introducing criminal liability for legal entities for bribery-related crimes as well as specific legislation encouraging companies to adopt compliance programs by recognizing the adoption and implementation of said programs as a mitigating factor in their defense against corporate criminal liability. In light of the above, it is critical to develop good understanding of the relevant anti-bribery laws regulating domestic bribery, both private to public and private to private, as well as corruption of foreign public officials. It is also important to adopt adequate business strategies and practices to mitigate the criminal, administrative and reputational risks associated with the infringement of anti-bribery laws. In addition, it is necessary to understand the legal value given to compliance programs as a defense to shape corporate strategies in order to protect the company, its directors and employees from criminal liability.

This 2016 edition of the Global Anti-Bribery Laws has been prepared to provide you with an overview of the anti-bribery laws in 46 jurisdictions, including definitions as well as a fair number of recommended practices.