Cases of bribery of foreign officials require, from an institutional perspective, specific investigative capacities, the chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), Marius Voineag, told a specialized conference intended for the professional training of prosecutors and police officers within this prosecutor's office, which took place on Wednesday.
"From an institutional perspective, cases of bribery of foreign officials require specific investigative capacities, including the ability to track financial flows between jurisdictions, to obtain evidence through mutual legal assistance and to evaluate corporate compliance mechanisms. Strengthening this capacity within national institutions is essential for credible and consistent law enforcement," Voineag emphasised, at the conference "Investigating the crime of bribery of foreign public officials in international commercial transactions," organized at the DNA headquarters, in the context of Romania's accession process to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The conference will address issues related to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and Romania's implementation of its standards. It will also explore detection, relevant case law in the field of DNA's jurisdiction, and international cooperation mechanisms, including through the lens of addressing multi-jurisdictional cases, according to a press release sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday.
The chief prosecutor recalled that, early this year, DNA filed charges against a company controlled by a foreign citizen operating in Romania.
"The company in question is accused of attempting to bribe a foreign public official in connection with a fuel supply contract at the Mihail Kogalniceanu military base, a critical strategic asset. This investigation was conducted in close coordination with the United States authorities. The case reflects both the cross-border nature of foreign bribery and the practical importance of international cooperation in investigating such acts," Voineag explained.
He stated that Romania has benefited from structured recommendations and comparative perspectives from the OECD Anti-Bribery Working Group.
"These evaluations have highlighted areas that require improvement, including the need to clarify the legal definition of foreign public official, strengthen sanctions and expand the framework of criminal liability of legal persons. We remain firmly committed to implementing these recommendations," Voineag said.
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