NGO: Anti-bribery ban not being enforced

BERLIN, June 23 (UPI) -- Most of the world's top exporting countries are failing to fully enforce a ban on foreign bribery, advocates said Tuesday.

The German non-governmental organization Transparency International released a report indicating that only four out of 36 countries evaluated -- Germany, Norway, Switzerland and the United States -- are actively enforcing the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Anti-Bribery Convention, which they have all signed.

TI found that there was "moderate" enforcement in 11 other countries and little to no enforcement in 21 countries, and said such uneven enforcement jeopardizes the success of the ant-bribery convention.

The group said enforcement by all parties must be accelerated or the anti-bribery effort will ultimately fail.

"Political will must be at the heart of efforts to deliver on anti-bribery," said Transparency International managing director Cobus de Swardt said in a release. "Especially in the current global recession when businesses face acute pressure to win declining orders. Accelerated enforcement is needed to ensure fair competition."