This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
Document 32008D0801
United Nations Convention against Corruption
United Nations Convention against Corruption
SUMMARY OF:
SUMMARY
WHAT DOES THIS DECISION DO?
It authorises the EU to sign the United Nations Convention against Corruption. The convention aims to help the fight against corruption, promote the proper management of public affairs and encourage international cooperation and technical assistance.
KEY POINTS
The convention applies to the prevention, investigation and prosecution of corruption and to the freezing, seizure, confiscation and return of the proceeds of offences.
It includes rules to prevent and combat money laundering as well as standards on accounting in the private sector and on transparency and equal access of all candidates for public works supply and service contracts.
Preventing corruption
The convention sets out a number of rules to prevent corruption, including:
It also recommends:
Criminalisation
The convention recommends establishing a number of criminal offences, including:
In the private sector, it calls for the creation of offences of:
The convention also recommends further legal and administrative action, including:
Recovery of assets
The convention specifies measures for the direct recovery of assets and sets out how this can be done through international cooperation on confiscation. It also includes rules on how assets should be returned.
European Anti-Fraud Office
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has responsibility for investigating these issues as far as they apply to the EU institutions. OLAF investigates fraud against the EU budget, corruption and serious misconduct within the European institutions, and develops anti-fraud policy for the European Commission.
WHEN DOES THE DECISION APPLY?
It applies from 25 September 2008.
BACKGROUND
For more information, see:
KEYWORDS
* Illicit enrichment: where a person benefits at another person’s expense without giving something of equal value in return.
ACT
Council Decision 2008/801/EC of 25 September 2008 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (OJ L 287, 29.10.2008, pp. 1-110)
last update 21.04.2016