By The Regulatory Institute

Corruption remains one of the foremost challenges faced by countries worldwide. Its destructive effects impact societies, economies, and individuals globally, with developing nations bearing the brunt of this widespread issue. While many countries have implemented anti-corruption regulations, their effectiveness may be limited. To address this gap, the Regulatory Institute has developed this model law on corruption.

This model law serves as a comprehensive guide for regulatory practitioners in drafting and implementing robust anti-corruption measures tailored to their specific legal and cultural contexts.

The model law aims to provide a clear and comprehensive framework, outlining responsibilities, defining offences, and establishing stringent penalties for corrupt activities. It is divided into six chapters, each addressing a critical aspect of the fight against corruption.

Drawing on a wide range of solutions from anti-corruption laws around the world, the model law highlights the importance of robust investigation and enforcement mechanisms to deter and address corruption effectively.

The purpose of the Regulatory Institute’s model laws is to facilitate the tasks of regulatory practitioners, be they working for administrations or parliaments, to improve the quality of laws by triggering more conscious choices. These model laws should be used as a toolbox, a checklist or the basis for the development of an adapted law, and optimised as such. The model laws are not intended to be used exactly as they are drafted. They try to point to important decisions to be taken by regulatory practitioners without preempting respective choices. Therefore, they often present choices, be they alternatives or add-on modules, that can be kept or deleted.

In view of that specific task, the model laws of the Regulatory Institute offer so many possibilities for differentiation that no jurisdiction will use all of them. Consequently, once a decision has been taken regarding the possibilities for differentiation to be used, the law can and should be simplified.

Brussels: Regulatory Institute, 2024. 62p.