Phase 2 Report on Implementing the Oecd Anti-Bribery Convention In
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PHASE 2 REPORT ON IMPLEMENTING THE OECD ANTI-BRIBERY CONVENTION IN COLOMBIA October 2015 This Phase 2 Report on Colombia by the OECD Working Group on Bribery evaluates and makes recommendations on Colombia’s implementation of the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and the 2009 Recommendation of the Council for Further Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. It was adopted by the Working Group on 16 October 2015. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS DRAFT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................... 5 A. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 6 1. On-site visit ........................................................................................................................................... 6 2. General observations ............................................................................................................................ 6 a. Political and legal framework ........................................................................................................... 6 b. Economic background ....................................................................................................................... 8 3. Overview of corruption trends and recent measures............................................................................. 9 a. Corruption overview ......................................................................................................................... 9 b. Implementation of the Convention and legislative developments .................................................. 11 c. Cases involving the bribery of foreign public officials ................................................................... 11 B. AWARENESS, PREVENTION AND DETECTION OF FOREIGN BRIBERY ............................. 12 1. General efforts to raise awareness ...................................................................................................... 12 a. Government initiatives .................................................................................................................... 12 b. Private sector initiatives .................................................................................................................. 16 2. Reporting foreign bribery and whistleblower protection .................................................................... 18 a. Duty to report crimes ...................................................................................................................... 18 b. Whistleblower protection ................................................................................................................ 19 3. Officially Supported Export Credits ................................................................................................... 20 a. Detection of foreign bribery ............................................................................................................ 20 b. Duty to report .................................................................................................................................. 21 4. Official Development Assistance ....................................................................................................... 22 5. Tax authorities .................................................................................................................................... 23 a. Non-deductibility of bribes ............................................................................................................. 23 b. Awareness, training and detection .................................................................................................. 24 c. Sharing of information and duty to report foreign bribery .............................................................. 25 6. Detection through accounting and auditing ........................................................................................ 27 a. Awareness-raising efforts................................................................................................................ 27 b. Internal controls, supervisory boards and audit committees ........................................................... 28 c. External audit .................................................................................................................................. 29 d. Duty to report foreign bribery ......................................................................................................... 31 7. Detection through anti-money laundering systems ............................................................................ 31 a. Suspicious transaction reporting ..................................................................................................... 32 b. Exchange of information ................................................................................................................. 34 c. Resources, awareness and training .................................................................................................. 35 C. INVESTIGATION, PROSECUTION AND SANCTIONING OF FOREIGN BRIBERY AND RELATED OFFENCES ................................................................................................................................ 36 1. Investigation and prosecution of foreign bribery ................................................................................ 36 a. Investigative authorities .................................................................................................................. 37 b. Prosecutors ...................................................................................................................................... 42 c. The Judiciary ................................................................................................................................... 47 3 d. The conduct of investigations ......................................................................................................... 50 e. Principles of prosecution ................................................................................................................. 53 f. Statute of limitations and time limits for the criminal process ....................................................... 57 g. Jurisdiction ...................................................................................................................................... 58 h. Mutual legal assistance and extradition .......................................................................................... 59 2. The offence of foreign bribery ............................................................................................................ 62 a. Elements of the offence ................................................................................................................... 63 b. Defences and exemptions ................................................................................................................ 66 3. Liability of legal persons .................................................................................................................... 67 a. Introduction to Colombia’s legal framework for corporate liability ............................................... 67 b. Legal entities subject to liability ..................................................................................................... 68 c. Link between the liability of the natural person and the legal person ............................................. 69 d. Corporate liability for acts by related legal persons ........................................................................ 72 e. Statute of limitations and investigation periods applicable to legal persons ................................... 72 f. Jurisdiction over legal persons ........................................................................................................ 73 g. Defences, benefits for collaboration and mitigating circumstances for legal persons .................... 73 h. Institutional and procedural framework for engaging corporate liability ....................................... 74 i. Promotion of anti-corruption compliance measures under Bill 159 ............................................... 80 4. The offence of money laundering ....................................................................................................... 80 a. Scope of the money laundering offence .......................................................................................... 80 b. Sanctions and enforcement of the money laundering offence ........................................................ 81 5. The offence of false accounting .......................................................................................................... 81 a. Scope of the false accounting offence ............................................................................................. 82 b. Sanctions for false accounting ........................................................................................................ 83 6. Sanctions