- · Tánaiste adds Ireland’s support to the international effort to tackle corruption.
- · Ireland’s contribution to the global effort to address corruption highlighted.
- · Tánaiste pledges continued action by Ireland to combat corruption.
The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald, TD, is today attending a major Anti Corruption Summit in London.
Ireland, along with more than 40 states gathered at the Summit, have concluded a Summit Communique outlining the common commitments which all will take forward in the fight against corruption.
The Summit, hosted by the British Prime Minister, brings together a unique coalition of world leaders and representatives from business, civil society, law enforcement, sports committees and international organisations from across the globe to focus on international action to meet the following key objectives: deterring corruption; ending impunity for those who commit corruption; and supporting and empowering those who have suffered from it.
The Tánaiste said ‘I wish to praise Prime Minister’s Cameron new initiative in bringing together the international community in tackling corruption. Corruption is inimical to economic growth, taking money from budgets that could be used for social and economic programmes.’
The event has garnered widespread international support with attendance involving approximately 40 countries, including Ireland. The Summit is also attracting strong support from a wide range of international organisations with high level participation from the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Development Programme. the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Financial Action Task Force, and the World Bank. The Summit particularly aims to stimulate and drive forward a stronger collective international response in tackling corruption.
The Tánaiste said ‘I welcome the opportunity of the Summit to reaffirm Ireland’s commitment to the international response to corruption. Together with our international partners we will play our part in the international efforts to eradicate corruption globally. The Tánaiste added ‘ A lack of good governance, the absence of efficient and accountable institutions, the lack of transparency - all these lead to economic underperformance, expose states to corruption and abuses of power and generate security risks at national and regional level. Ireland will work with its partners to promote good governance and a culture of zero tolerance for all corrupt practices. Events like this are an important opportunity to take stock of the global efforts being made and to reaffirm and reinvigorate our responses. ’
The Summit is dealing with a diverse range of topics including Beneficial Ownership, Public procurement and Fiscal Transparency, Tax, International Sport, Transparency in Commodity Markets, Reporting Corruption, Law Enforcement, Asset Recovery, Promoting Integrity in our Institutions and the International System.
A key focus of the Summit, as highlighted in the Communique which is to be published today, is the establishment of central registers of beneficial ownership information and the question of making that information available to authorities and, more broadly, making it public. In this regard, it is currently intended that Ireland will establish a Central Register for Beneficial Ownership information on Companies and on Trusts as part of the transposition of EU legislation. Consideration is still being given to the level of public access and as part of the transposition process the Department of Finance will engage in an appropriate consultation process.
Ireland is a party to the key international instruments which seek to support the international response to corruption including the UN Convention Against Corruption and has already taken steps to implement a range of measures highlighted in the Summit Communique. Ireland's Country Statement, which will be made available today, will make further commitments across a number of policy areas.
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Note for Editors
The Summit outcomes include a Global Declaration against Corruption and a Communiqué together with an individual statement by each country of specific actions it will take. Ireland has made the following commitments.
1. Expose Corruption
· Ireland commits to the establishment of a central register of beneficial ownership information for all companies and commits to exploring the feasibility of making such a register public.
· Ireland further commits to the establishment of a central register of beneficial ownership information for certain other legal entities.
· Ireland commits to ensuring that law enforcement agencies have full and effective access to beneficial ownership information for companies and other legal entities registered within our jurisdiction.
· Ireland commits to joining the pilot initiative for automatic exchange of beneficial ownership information.
· Ireland commits to working with its international partners to implement bilateral arrangements where appropriate, that will ensure law enforcement have full and effective access to the beneficial ownership information of companies.
· Ireland is finalising its National Risk Assessment identifying the threats of money laundering and the financing of terrorism and commits to building public private partnerships to ensure the most effective response to national and international money laundering risk.
· Ireland commits to exploring the deployment of public-private information sharing partnerships to bring together government, law enforcement, regulators and the financial sector to aid in the detection, prevention and disruption of money laundering including money laundering linked to corruption.
· Ireland is engaged in the full implementation of a new suite of EU Public Procurement Directives which will make public procurement a more open and transparent system across the Irish Public service. Ireland will continue to examine ways to develop procurement with the aim of delivering quality services in a transparent manner.
· Ireland has undertaken IMF Fiscal Transparency evaluation. Ireland has also undertaken a spill over analysis of its tax system on developing countries and encourages other countries to do likewise. Ireland having fully supported the offshore account Common Reporting Standard, further commits to the development of the 2nd common reporting standard for the exchange of beneficial ownership data.
· Ireland commits to fully implement dedicated and comprehensive whistle-blower protection legislation that applies equally to both public and private sector employees, providing follow-up supports where appropriate.
2. Punish the corrupt and support those who have suffered from corruption
· Ireland commits to renewing and consolidating its legislation on the incrimination of corruption which will include new provisions on the use of intermediaries to facilitate bribery, clarifying the liability of corporate bodies for bribery offences, and strengthening the measures to tackle abuse of office by public officials.
· Ireland welcomes the development of internationally-endorsed guidelines for the transparent and accountable management of returned stolen assets. Having successfully adopted both conviction based and non-conviction based models for the confiscation of proceeds of crime and made provision for a corrupt enrichment order in circumstances where a person has been corruptly enriched, Ireland commits to further exploring measures which would serve to strengthen Ireland’s systems based on experience to date.
3. Drive out the culture of corruption, wherever it exists
· Ireland also supports key accountability institutions through our overseas development assistance programme, including Transparency International and initiatives that build the capacity of oversight institutions such as Parliaments and Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI). Ireland commits to continuing support for INTOSAI to improve the capacity of national audit systems in our partner countries and thereby improve the accountability of governments to Parliaments and citizens.
· Ireland is committed to further examining the strengthening of its national framework for public sector standards to achieve a shift towards a more dynamic and risk-based system of compliance, ensuring our institutional framework is robust and effective.