Senate Foreign Relations Urged to Ratify Inter-American Convention Against Corruption (IXB)

On May 2, 2000, all four persons testified in support of U.S. ratification of and leadership in the implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption. Alan Larson, Under Secretary for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, testified that U.S. leadership will be critical to ensuring the implementation of the obligation of the Convention, which was adopted at the Specialized Conference on Corruption of the Organization of American States on March 29, 1996. Larson explained 21 states signed the treaty on the date of its adoption. To date, 18 states are parties to the Convention, which entered into force on March 6, 1997. Larson summarized the Convention, explaining that States Parties are required to take specific steps to criminalize corruption both by payers and recipients of bribes, the solicitation and acceptance of bribes; any act or omission by a government official to obtain illicit benefits for himself or others; the fraudulent use of property derived from the above-mentioned acts; and participation in, or association, or conspiracy to commit such acts...[more]