The fight against international corruption: a call for a global approach in corporate criminal liability law and procedure

This chapter provides the main targets of international corruption are the integrity of the competitive mechanism and, in a wider perspective, the proper functioning of the global economy. Corporate criminal liability changes corporations’ approaches to fighting corruption and promotes a new culture within the complex structures. The transnational dimension of corruption and the need for policies common to the various jurisdictions explain the tendency of the different countries to design at international level common normative instruments for the strengthening of international judicial cooperation. The result of the examination of the main international conventions is a complex picture made of lights and shadows. The focus on corporate criminal liability as a key element of the strategy to fight international corruption must be acknowledged as one of the main merits of the drafters of the international instruments. On the basis of these considerations and of the judicial experience, it can be said that this approach has proved to be far-sighted.