International corruption
The International Corruption field of crime handles cases of bribery of foreign public officials as defined in Art. 322septies SCC, along with related offences. Proceedings in this field, which is part of the "Economic Crime" division, are often initiated on the basis of information received through mutual legal assistance requests from abroad, reports submitted by Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) to the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG), or criminal complaints.
In cases of international corruption, coordinated cooperation between the prosecution authorities in the countries concerned is crucial. If there is a lack of will to prosecute in the foreign state whose citizen is the bribed public official, this makes it considerably more difficult or indeed impossible for the OAG to investigate the bribery allegation and to secure a conviction or to return any bribes seized in Switzerland. Investigations in this domain of criminal activity are often closely linked to investigations in the area of Money laundering.
In view of the international dimension of these cases and the increasing importance of global resolutions, i.e. the conclusion of proceedings coordinated between various states, cooperation and the development of joint investigation strategies with foreign prosecution authorities are of key importance. OAG also attaches considerable weight to dialogue with the companies that are under scrutiny, the possibility of filing voluntary reports and a company’s cooperation in an ongoing criminal investigation.
Lastly, OAG pursues a pro-active strategy in relation to international corruption investigations, in that, if possible and appropriate, it notifies foreign prosecution authorities of available evidence and the possibility of filing a request for mutual legal assistance by means of spontaneous transmissions of information.