Bribery in international business transactions - A legal and empirical evaluation

经合组织《禁止在国际商业交易中贿赂外国公职人员公约》在序言中指出，“贿赂是国际商业交易包括贸易和投资中的一种普遍现象，引起严重的道德和政治关切，破坏善治和经济发展，这句话强调了有效反腐败战略的政治和经济重要性。由于贿赂破坏了公共和私营机构的正常运作，因此，它危及基本社会目标的实现。世界银行研究所估计，全球每年的贿赂额约为1万亿美元。今天，多项国际条约和国家立法证明，全球正朝着全面禁止外国腐败行为的方向发展。尽管认识有所提高，但经合组织注意到在执行国际标准和有效起诉腐败犯罪方面存在重大缺陷。该项目涉及德国法律规定的国际商业交易中贿赂的责任和起诉问题。其重点在于对德国反腐败法进行教条式分析，以确定现有法律的框架内的核心问题，并制定可能的解决方案，以改进反贿赂条例。该项目力求通过对腐败的法律的概念提出新的想法和解释来加强学术讨论。此外，它还旨在针对调查和执法实践中出现的挑战提出具体建议。该项目还包括在审查档案和与检察官面谈的基础上对贿赂案件进行定性评价。由于还没有关于外国贿赂的重要经验数据，研究报告力求促进对国际腐败现象的了解，并确定检察官在调查期间面临的挑战。通过这种方式，这些项目将为学术辩论作出宝贵贡献，并有助于制定优化德国反腐败刑法和实践的建议。

In its preamble, the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions states that "bribery is a widespread phenomenon in international business transactions, including trade and investment, which raises serious moral and political concerns, undermines good governance and economic development, and distorts international competitive conditions".This quote emphasizes the political and economic importance of an effective anti-corruption strategy. Since bribery undermines the proper functioning of public and private institutions, it jeopardizes the achievement of fundamental social objectives. The World Bank Institutes gives an estimate for annual worldwide bribery of about US $1 trillion dollars. Today, multiple international treaties as well as national legislation are evidence of a global development towards a comprehensive criminalize acts of corruption in foreign countries. In spite of the increased awareness, the OECD observes significant shortcomings in the implementation of international standards and an effective prosecution of corruption crimes. The project addresses the question of liability and prosecution of bribery in international business transactions under German law. Its focus lies on a dogmatic analysis of the German anti-corruption law, which shall identify central problems within the existing legal framework and develop possible solutions to improve anti-bribery regulations. The project seeks to enhance the academic discussion by contributing new ideas and interpretations to the legal concept of corruption. Further, it aims to provide specific recommendations for the challenges emerged in the practice of investigation and law enforcement. The project also consists of a qualitative evaluation of bribery cases based on a review of files and interviews with prosecutors. Since there does not yet exist significant empirical data on foreign bribery, the study seeks to promote an understanding of the phenomenon of international corruption and to identify the challenges prosecutors face during the investigation. By this means, the projects will make a valuable contribution to the academic debate and help formulate proposals to optimize German anti-corruption criminal law and practice.