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Political Corruption as a Regulatory Problem in Germany

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

Sebastian Wolf

Abstract

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The shortcomings identified in German bribery law—such as the limited criminalization of bribery of parliamentarians and other members of domestic assemblies, coupled with the absence of trading in influence offenses, and furthermore, certain limits in the criminalization of bribery of foreign and international officials and of private sector bribery—represent significant lacunae in the law.

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Articles
Information
German Law Journal , Volume 14 , Issue 9 , 01 September 2013 , pp. 1627 - 1638
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 by German Law Journal GbR 

References

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27 UNCAC Art. 15.Google Scholar

28 “Each Party shall adopt such legislative and other measures as may be necessary to establish as criminal offenses under its domestic law, when committed intentionally, the promising, offering or giving by any person, directly or indirectly, of any undue advantage to any of its public officials, for himself or herself or for anyone else, for him or her to act or refrain from acting in the exercise of his or her functions.” CLCOC Art. 2.Google Scholar

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53 See Draft Laws Against the Bribery of MPs: Hearing Before Deutscher Bundestag Legal Committee (Oct. 17, 2012) (opinion of Ulrich Franke), available at http://www.bundestag.de/bundestag/ausschuesse17/a06/anhoerungen/archiv/27_Bek__mpfung_Abgeordnetenbestechnung/04_Stellungnahmen/Stellungnahme_Dr__Franke.pdf; Draft Laws Against the Bribery of MPs: Hearing Before Deutscher Bundestag Legal Committee (Oct. 17, 2012) (opinion of Klaus Ferdinand Gärditz), available at http://www.bundestag.de/bundestag/ausschuesse17/a06/anhoerungen/archiv/27_Bek__mpfung_Abgeordnetenbestechnung/04_Stellungnahmen/Stellungnahme_G__rditz.pdf; Draft Laws Against the Bribery of MPs: Hearing Before Deutscher Bundestag Legal Committee (Oct. 17, 2012) (opinion of Gerald Kretschmer), available at http://www.bundestag.de/bundestag/ausschuesse17/a06/anhoerungen/archiv/27_Bek__mpfung_Abgeordnetenbestechnung/04_Stellungnahmen/Stellungnahme_Kretschmer.pdf; Draft Laws Against the Bribery of MPs: Hearing Before Deutscher Bundestag Legal Committee (Oct. 17, 2012) (opinion of Cyrill-A. Schwarz), available at http://www.bundestag.de/bundestag/ausschuesse17/a06/anhoerungen/archiv/27_Bek__mpfung_Abgeordnetenbestechnung/04_Stellungnahmen/Stellungnahme_Schwarz.pdf. See also Draft Laws Against the Bribery of MPs: Hearing Before Deutscher Bundestag Legal Committee (Oct. 17, 2012) (minutes of hearing), available at http://www.bundestag.de/bundestag/ausschuesse17/a06/anhoerungen/archiv/27_Bek__mpfung_Abgeordnetenbestechnung/05_Wortprotokoll.pdf. For a short summary of the opinions, see Wolf, supra note 41, at 102.Google Scholar

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58 Bribery in order to attain a specific non-action of a parliamentarian does not seem to be covered by the proposal. However, UNCAC Art. 15 requires countries to also criminalize bribes offered or granted “in order that the official … refrain from acting in the exercise of his or her official duties.” The same goes for CLCOC Art. 4 in conjunction with Art. 2 and 3 (see Part C).Google Scholar

59 Remarkably, the bill deals with bribery of members of foreign parliaments and international parliamentary assemblies. This might imply that Art. 2 Sect. 2 IntBestG (see Part B) will be abolished if the draft law is adopted. However, currently the attempt of bribery of foreign or international parliamentarians in international business transactions is also prohibited. Thus, on one hand the reform would extend the scope of application of the foreign bribery offense, because it would no longer be restricted to bribery “in international business transactions.” But on the other hand, the criminalization of attempted bribery would be repealed. For a comparison of this draft law and other current bills mentioned above, see also Wolf, supra note 41, at 103–104.Google Scholar

60 As Germany would still not meet all requirements of CLCOC, the Federal Government would have to declare some reservations to certain articles of this treaty. For example, trading in influence (CLCOC Art. 12) is not criminalized in Germany, and bribery in the private sector (CLCOC Art. 7 and 8) is only prohibited to some extent. Cf. Wolf, supra note 17, at 792.Google Scholar

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