Hugh Williamson, Financial Times
September 25, 2006
By not paying bribes in graft-prone countries, companies would
be interfering in national sovereignty, say defenders of illicit
corporate payments to poor nations. “But paying bribes is also
interfering,” counters global graft watchdog, Transparency International.

Many western companies have cleaned up their act on corruption at home
but have yet to curb their bribe-paying in poor nations, the largest survey [PDF] on illicit corporate payments will show next week.

While such “clear double standards” damage the reputation of
international business, the survey also finds that companies from
Russia, China, India and Brazil are most prone to paying bribes, both
at home and abroad, to get contracts.

“Many countries like China and Malaysia defend their companies by
saying they are following local practice by paying bribes, and that to
do otherwise would be to interfere in national sovereignty,” said David
Nussbaum, executive director of Transparency International, the
anti-corruption watchdog.

“But paying bribes is also interfering!” he said, urging governments in emerging economies to enforce tougher anti-bribery laws.

Full article here.