The National Transparency Authority (NTA), in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Centre for Public Administration and Local-Government (EKDD), organised on Wednesday 30 November an informative webinar on: "The OECD Convention on Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (Foreign Bribery) and the recent assessment of Greece".
During the webinar, key aspects of the Convention and the content of the recommendations as reflected in the recent OECD evaluation report of our country were presented and analysed. In addition, representatives of the Greek public administration and judicial authorities analysed the application of the provisions of the Convention on Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in international business transactions, while executives of exporting companies shared their experiences in managing compliance risks.
The webinar was opened by Mr. Ioannis Foustanakis, Director of the Strategic Planning and Behavioral Analysis Department of the NTA, who stressed: "Strengthening the cooperation of audit institutions with diplomatic authorities and services can bring about multiplier effects in the fight against corruption and consolidate transparency".
Ms. Alexandra Rogkakou, Interim Director of the NTA, then took the floor, who said that “in recent years efforts have been made in Greece to develop a comprehensive policy framework to combat and strengthen public integrity and accountability”. As she said, "The goal of this national effort is twofold. Both in terms of improving the country's image in international indicators, ratings and in attracting foreign investment, and in restoring citizens' confidence in the institutions of the state by strengthening safeguards of public integrity."
Ms. Niki H. Kaba, Director of the Diplomatic Academy, noted: "The aim of this workshop is to raise awareness but also to enable us to acquire a range of knowledge to be able to deal with any situation when we witness a suspicious transaction."
For her part, Ms. Liana Paschali, Head of Studies and Research of the Department of Commercial and Financial Affairs of the National School of Public Administration and Local Government (EKDD), referred to the phenomenon of corruption in general, which, she said, "concerns us all and we must eliminate it", while she placed particular emphasis on the denunciation of such phenomena. Ms. Paschali said, "Corruption indicates a lack of integrity, not only in those who commit it but also in those who do not report it. Strong, effective protection must be provided to persons who disclose such violations and the way to deal with such illegal activities must be clearly defined. We should all consider the reasons that prevent such incidents from being reported."
Following, Mr. Demosthenes Stigkas, Appellant, in the topic "The OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions" analysed the content of the OECD Convention, giving interesting facts. As he stated: "The Convention was an initiative of the US and followed their national legislation to prohibit corruption practices abroad. It is concerned in principle with business fair play in international transactions, but in the course of its implementation it has come to concern more broadly the adequacy of the regulatory framework and mechanisms to combat bribery and other corruption offences."
In her turn, in the topic "The criminal treatment of the offence of bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions" Ms. Ekaterini Koliokosta, Prosecutor of Economic Crime, presented the competent prosecution bodies for the investigation and prosecution of cases of bribery of foreign public officials, the criteria for determining the relevant jurisdiction, as well as the new regulatory framework of the institution of the new Prosecutor of Economic Crime.
The panel speaker on "The fourth phase of the country's assessment regarding the implementation of the Convention" was Dr. Anastasia Sotiropoulou, Legal Advisor to the Interim Director of the NTA, who noted: "The 4th phase of the evaluation of Greece on the implementation of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials started in April 2021. The NTA coordinated the competent bodies in providing the responses as well as the on-site evaluation process."
Mr. Apostolos Michalopoulos, Head of Directorate of Planning and Coordination of Outreach Agencies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also spoke on the issue, who underlined: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent instructions to all Foreign Authorities, drawing their attention to the transmission of complaints, in which a company of Greek interests or a businessman of Greek nationality is allegedly involved, in cases of bribery or attempted bribery of a foreign public official, as well as for information from the local media on corresponding cases".
Participating in the same panel, Mr. George Petmazamis, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' General Directorate for Development and Humanitarian Aid, said that three Presidential Decrees are already being drafted for the organization and operation of the General Directorate for Development and Humanitarian Aid, the maintenance of the Register of Civil Society and Private Sector Entities and Enterprises, as well as the management and implementation of bilateral and regional development cooperation agreements with partner countries in the European Union, this way, as he stressed, "care is taken to ensure maximum transparency throughout the process of awarding and implementing actions, as well as the credibility and transparent operation of the implementing agencies".
The speaker at the panel "Transparency as a pillar of growth of Greek export entrepreneurship" was Mr. Michael Mitsopoulos, Director, of Business Environment and Regulatory Policies Sector of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), who pointed out: "For a proper transition to take place, the rule of law, legislation as well as transparency are needed. There must be a balance of regulation, incentives and taxes that have as a strategic approach the best results for environmental and social objectives. There must also be transparency in terms of results. Under the same theme, Mr. Dimitris Dimou, Operations Senior Director of HALCOR, presented their company's corporate governance system, which guides on how to mitigate risk on good business practices. As he said, "there are specific people for these activities. The results of audits and training are audited by third parties for transparency purposes."
Mr. Sofoklis Karapidakis, Director of Regulatory Compliance and Data Protection Officer of MYTILINEOS, also commented on the same topic, underlining: "There is a program available that has 3 pillars in the compliance framework based on addressing corruption, fraud, conflict of interest and other related issues. Through these, the organization inspires a climate of trust among investors and focuses on the long-term future. This highlights the emphasis on a climate of compliance, transparency and integrity.
Finally, Mr. Aris Dimitriadis, Executive Director of Compliance & Insurance at OTE Group, said: "The new corporate governance law establishes, at least in the companies listed for Greece, the concept of compliance, meaning that the company is protected, gives values and acts as a compass in the area in which they operate. It is important to have it, because banks and investors already demand that compliance systems are in place."
You can watch the entire discussion at the link below: