A Complete Guide To Anti Corruption Law

Anti-corruption includes activities that oppose or suppress corruption. Just as corruption takes many forms, the scope and strategies of anti-corruption work are also different. Sometimes a general distinction is made between preventive measures and passive measures. Under this framework, investigating authorities and their attempts to expose corrupt practices will be considered passive. Simultaneously, education or internal company compliance programs on corruption's adverse effects will be classified as the former.


Following the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, public servants may be sued for corruption. Benami transactions are prohibited under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act of 1988. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act of 2002 makes it illegal for public officials to launder money. India has also signed (but not yet ratified) the United Nations Convention Against Corruption since 2005. The Convention covers a broad range of acts of corruption and also proposes specific preventive policies. 

About Anti Corruption Law

What Is Anti Corruption India?

India Against Corruption (IAC)is an anti-corruption movement in India, which was particularly prominent in anti-corruption protests in 2011 and 2012, which involved introducing the Jan Lokpal Act. Its primary purpose is to mobilize the masses to support their demands. Divisions amongst critical members of the IAC's core committee eventually led to a split within the movement- Arvind Kejriwal left to form the Aam Aadmi Party. In contrast, Anna Hazare left to form Jantantra Morcha.

Bribery is a crime under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Commercial organizations may be held responsible if an individual affiliated with them gives or threatens to give some unfair benefit to a public servant to receive or retain business or an advantage in business conduct. Commercial organizations may claim defense if they can demonstrate that they had adequate procedures to prevent such acts by anyone associated with them. Such procedures must conform to the Government's guidelines.

The exception for facilitating payments applies only when a payment is made to further 'routine governmental action' that involves non-discretionary acts. Processing visas, providing police protection or mail service, and providing utilities such as phone service, power, and water are examples of 'routine governmental action. A decision to grant new business or continue doing business with a specific party is not considered routine government action. "Facilitation payments were illegal before the implementation of the Bribery Act, and they remain illegal under the Bribery Act, regardless of their size or frequency."

What Is The Punishment For Taking Bribes In India?

For bribe-takers, the amended law has increased the punishment to a minimum of three years of imprisonment, which may extend to seven years, besides a fine. The act has included commercial organization into its ambit also.

A commercial organization shall be guilty of an offense and shall be punishable with a fine if any person associated with the commercial organization gives or promises to give any undue advantage to a public servant," it said.

Is The Uk Bribery Act Applicable In India?

 

 

LONDON: Indian companies with offices in the U.K. and British companies operating in India will be covered by a challenging new act that seeks to prosecute companies and individuals who offer or receive bribes and fail to prevent bribery.

The Bribery Act 2010, which comes into force today, overhauls existing British laws dating back to 1889 and creates offenses in the U.K. or abroad that carry prison terms of up to 10 years and unlimited fines.

Bribery refers to providing, giving, soliciting, or accepting anything of value as a means of influencing an individual's conduct of public or legal duties. Such actions lead to matters that should be dealt with objectively and best dealt with in the decision-makers private interests. Bribery constitutes a crime, and both the offeror and the recipient may be subject to criminal charges. Asking for bribes also constitutes a crime, and the demand for bribes must be completed regardless of whether the demand for bribes results in the receipt of valuable gifts.

What Is The Distinction Between Bribery And Facilitation Payments?

Essentially, if this is a necessary payment to conduct business in the area, it is considered a facilitation payment. However, if the payment is for the decision-maker to make a beneficial decision, it is a bribe. The line is there, but it is often blurred. This is why when companies are often accused of violating the FCPA, they may use the facilitation payment exception as an affirmative defense. This only works if they can prove that it is indeed a facilitation payment. This is where the proper process comes in.

How Do I Report A Bribe In India?

 

 

CBI can also be directly approached anytime by sending the complaint by post, or SMS from a mobile phone, making a phone call to the nearest anti-corruption branch of CBI, sending emails to its officers, and posting the information/complaint on this website.

All the required details for the above are available on the CBI website in the following links: http://cbi.nic.in/contact.php, http://cbi.nic.in/network.php. Each CBI anti-corruption branch sends regular SMS to citizens through telecom operators to spread awareness.

How Do You Deal With Bribery And Corruption?

Ways to Decrease the Risk of Bribery & Corruption

  1. Update your anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies. 
  2. Get the tone 'from the top right. 
  3. Embed ABAC principles in corporate culture. 
  4. Ensure gifts and hospitality meet three essential criteria.
  5. Conduct due diligence on all third parties. 
  6. Watch out for red flags. 
  7. Take extra precautions dealing with the foreign public.

The Government's white paper on black money in India proposes two possible sources of black money in India. The first category includes activities not permitted by law, such as crime, drug dealing, terrorism, and corruption, which are illegal in India; the second category includes wealth generated through legal activities but accumulated due to undeclared income and pay taxes. This black money eventually led to illegal capital flows across international borders, such as deposits in tax haven countries.

What Is The Punishment For Corruption In India?

Shall be punished with life imprisonment or with imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine. The official act or influence public servants are liable to a minimum punishment of six months and maximum punishment of five years and fine.

Is Giving Bribes A Crime?

 

 

According to the revised law, anyone who promises to give undue advantages to a civil servant shall be sentenced to imprisonment, which can be extended to seven years, be fined, or both. No domestic bribery legislation checks the bribers. The 30-year-old "Corruption Prevention Act" of 1988 provides for corruption cases and penalties for guilty crimes. The new law modifies the specific provisions of the law. For those who accept bribes, the revised law will increase the penalty to a minimum of three years' imprisonment, which may be extended to seven years in addition to fines.

What Are The Anti Corruption Laws In India?

India's primary anti-corruption legislation is the "Prevention of Corruption Act" (PCA) of 1988, which criminalizes, among other things, the taking and giving of 'undue advantage' to 'public servants. Both individuals and companies were punished for PCA's crimes.

The offenses under the PCA include:

  1. Public servants are obtaining any undue advantage with the intention of, or as a reward for, improperly or dishonestly performing or causing public duty performance.
  2. Public servants obtain any undue advantage without (or for inadequate) consideration from a person concerned in proceedings or business transacted either by the public servant or by any public servant's superiors.
  3. Criminal misbehavior on the part of a public servant (which included possession of disproportionate assets).
  4. Commission of any subsequent offense after being convicted previously under the PCA.

 

 

What Is An Anti Corruption Policy?

Anti-corruption (anti-corruption) comprises activities that oppose or inhibit corruption. Just as corruption takes many forms, anti-corruption efforts vary in scope and strategy. A general distinction between preventive and reactive measures is sometimes drawn. In such a framework, investigative authorities and their attempts to unveil corrupt practices would be considered reactive. Simultaneously, education on the negative impact of corruption or firm-internal compliance programs is classified as the former.

How Can A Company Prevent Corruption?

You can improve your company's transparency and accountability through the following six methods:

Commitment: Make anti-corruption a part of company culture and operations. Demonstrate to your employees, customers, and suppliers that your company has a zero-tolerance policy for bribery and corruption. Assessment: Understand your risks and prepare for them. Recognize opportunities to improve business by improving compliance. 

Definition: Define what success means to your company by clearly indicating the importance of these policies, formulating goals, strategies, and policies, and getting the support of colleagues.

Implementation: Integrate the anti-corruption plans and policies of the entire company (including the value chain). 

Measurement: The measurement is done. Measure and Monitor the impact of your anti-corruption policies to identify which ones are working and what still needs work. 

Communication: Always communicate your progress with stakeholders, and always strive for continuous improvement.

What Is The Most Common Form Of Corruption?

What is the most common form of corruption?

Common Types Of Corruption

  • Bribery. When a person with authorized authority accepts or solicits improper benefits (money and other essential or unimportant valuables) to perform functions or perform them in a specific way, we call it bribery. 
  • Kickbacks. A kickback usually refers to payments made to obtain a contract (for example, a construction company that obtains a government contract to build roads or other infrastructure). This will pay this sum to those who participated in the award of the contract. 
  • Foreign bribery. In several countries, it is also a crime for private sector actors to bribe foreign officials. This means that the home country's authorities may punish bribery outside the company's country of origin.
  • Trading in influence. Trading in influence – or influence peddling – is a form of corruption. For example, someone exerts undue influence on the public or private sector's decision-making process in exchange for illegitimate benefits.

 

How Much Is Black Money There In India?

In March 2018, it was revealed that the amount of Indian black money currently present in Swiss and other offshore banks is estimated to be ₹300 lakh crores or US$1.5 trillion.

Which Countries Have A Lot Of Corruption?

According to the United States, Colombia is regarded as the most corrupt country in the world. News 2020 Best Countries rankings, a characterization of 73 countries based on a survey of more than 20,000 global citizens.
 
Below are the ten countries perceived to be the most corrupt, and more country-related rankings can be found here.

COUNTRY

CORRUPT RANK

BEST COUNTRIES OVERALL RANK

Colombia

1

51

Mexico

2

33

Ghana

3

67

Myanmar

4

57

Guatemala

5

65

Saudi Arabia

6

31

Brazil

7

28

Kenya

8

53

Bolivia

9

60

Russia

10

23

What Are Criminal Offences In India?

The crimes that can be briefly tried in this section are those without the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for more than two years. 

  1. According to Articles 379, 380, and 381 of the Indian Penal Code, the stolen property's value must be less than ₹2,000. 
  2. According to Article 411 of the Criminal Law, if the stolen property's value is less than ₹2,000, the stolen property is accepted or retained. 
  3. When concealing or disposing of stolen property, the stolen property's value is less than ₹2,000 according to Article 414 of the Criminal Law.
  4. Slinking house-trespass (Section 454 of the Indian Penal Code) and burglary(Section 456 of the Penal Code) at night.
  5. Insult to provoke a breach of peace under Section 504 and criminal intimidation under Section 506 of the penal code.
  6. Assist any of the offenses as mentioned above.
  7. Attempt to commit any of the offenses as mentioned above.
  8. Offenses concerning which complaints may be made under Section 20 of Cattle Trespass Act, 1871.

Is Black Money Real Money?

Black money includes all funds earned through illegal activities and legal income that is not included in taxation purposes. Black money proceeds are usually collected in cash from underground economic activities, so there is no taxation. Recipients of black money must hide it, use it only for the underground economy, or launder money to make it legal.

What Is An Example Of Government Corruption?

Forms of corruption vary but can include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influence peddling, graft, and embezzlement. Corruption can promote criminal enterprises' development, such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking, although it is not limited to these activities. The abuse of government power for other plans, such as the suppression of political opponents and the general police's brutal behavior, is also regarded as political corruption.

Who Is A Public Servant In India?

Inclusion of NGOs: Currently, "public servant" is defined in the Indian Penal Code to include government officials, judges, employees of universities, Members of Parliament, Ministers, etc.

How Much Corrupt Is India?

Trends. Professor Bibek Debroy and Laveesh Bhandari claim in their book Corruption in India: The DNA and RNA that public officials in India may be cornering as much as ₹921 billion (US$13 billion), or 5 percent of the GDP through corruption. The book claims most bribery is in government-delivered services and the transport and real estate industries.

Is Demonetisation A Success Or Failure?

The immediate objective of demonetization was to flush out a large amount of black money hoarded in cash. The long-term objective was to convert our cash-based economy into a digital one. This conversion will turn India into an efficient economy with higher tax revenues. Therefore, we can conclude that surgical demonetization has failed in this objective.

What Are The Four Types Of Corruption?

Forms of corruption vary but can include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influence peddling, graft, and embezzlement. Corruption can promote criminal enterprises' development, such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking, although it is not limited to these activities. The misuse of government power for other plans, such as the suppression of political opponents and the general police's brutal behavior, is also regarded as political corruption.

How Can I Join The Anti Corruption Bureau?

Any user can register themselves online on the Anti Corruption & Crime Control Committee. Users can only fill up Personal Information Detail and attach Document proof Details in JPEG/PDF format. Any case of Help to understand fill-up the form, please call +91-8004927387, +91-9973768933, +91-9430810733.

How Can I Complain Against Corruption?

You can contact your nearest anti-corruption officer in person or by phone, or even by email. You can even get more information on the phone via the toll-free number 1800 233 44444 or 1064. Complaints can be lodged with the deputy chief of the police or Inspector of Police.

What Is a Bank Corrupt Bank?

Bank fraud uses illegal means to obtain money, assets, or other property owned or held by a financial institution or fraudulently impersonating a bank or other financial institution to obtain money from depositors. In many cases, bank fraud is a criminal offense. Although the specific content of specific bank fraud laws varies from jurisdiction, the term bank fraud applies to actions that employ a scheme or artifice instead of theft or bank robbery. Therefore, bank fraud is sometimes regarded as a white-collar crime.

How Can We Detect Corruption?

Detection Mechanisms: Auditing And Reporting

  1. Audits.
  2. Self-reporting. 
  3. Citizen reporting. 
  4. Journalism and media reporting. 
  5. Whistle-blowing. 
  6. Whistle-blowing versus leaking.

What Are The Two Main Causes Of Corruption?

  • Money greed and desires.
  • Increased market and political monopolization.
  • Low levels of democracy, low levels of civic participation, and low levels of political transparency.
  • Increased bureaucracy and ineffective administrative structures
  • Low press freedom.
  • Low economic freedom.

What Is The Economic Impact Of Corruption?

Corruption affects economic development in terms of economic efficiency and growth. It affects the fair distribution of resources of the entire population, increasing income inequality, undermining social welfare programs' effectiveness, and ultimately reducing the level of human development. In turn, this may undermine long-term sustainable development, economic growth, and equality.

References & Citation

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-corruption

https://nlla-india.webs.com/

https://www.indialawyers.org/

https://www.nla.org/

https://www.uianet.org/en