The Serious Fraud Office has today launched a national campaign targeting foreign bribery.
The office said the campaign aimed to raise awareness and encourage reporting with the introduction of a new online platform for anonymous reporting of suspected foreign bribery.
Reports would be received by specifically trained staff through a fully encrypted platform.
One of the most effective ways to detect these fraud cases is by whistleblowers according to the Serious Fraud Office. (Source: 1News)
All interactions between reporters and case handlers would remain encrypted, with data being stored and safeguarded in European-based data centres.
One of the most effective ways to detect these fraud cases was by whistleblowers, according to the government department.
Speaking at the launch event in Auckland, Police Minister Mark Mitchell said the reporting tool would give them a better scope of where and how much money was being used in foreign bribery, which authorities currently lacked data for.
“I think the beauty about this tool is that it will start to build out that picture for us as a country, so that we actually start to capture some of the data, we get a feeling for how big the problem might be,” Mitchell said.
“This is a more sophisticated tool now to be able to use in terms of allowing people to come forward and share that information and give us that information around that.
“I think too that we can’t look past the deterrent factor, that if you run a big campaign on this and people become more aware and there’s an awareness then that can have a positive impact on behaviour as well.”
The Serious Fraud Office said the online platform for anonymous reporting was the first of its kind in the world in dealing with foreign bribery and was modelled from a similar system used by the Commerce Commission.
The government department said foreign bribery distorts global markets and could take many forms.
The Serious Fraud Office said examples of this included a New Zealand company paying a foreign official for market access, a bribe from an overseas company to a public official here, or kickbacks to a private sector employee by a foreign company.
Serious Fraud Office director Karen Chang said one of the most effective ways to detect these cases was by whistleblowers.
“Foreign bribery is notoriously difficult to detect, but if left unchecked, it undermines trust, transparency and fair competition. Our national advertising campaign and new reporting platform is a crucial step in making it easier and safer for people to come forward.
“We know that anonymous reporting can be difficult in New Zealand’s close-knit communities and professional networks.”
“We also recognise that foreign bribery is not widely understood as a crime type, that’s why we are launching a national advertising campaign and investing in a platform that protects identities while allowing secure follow-up with our investigators.
“Our message is simple: if you see something, report it. If you’re unsure, get in touch anyway. We all have an interest in ensuring that business is conducted ethically and, in a way that enhances New Zealand’s reputation as an attractive place to invest,” said the SFO director.
Chang said the new campaign had taken on board aspects from an OECD report last year, which was critical about the lack of foreign bribery prosecutions and there not being a safe space for whistleblowers to report fraud.
“This does build upon the OECD report, stepping up the visibility and public awareness.
“But it also builds on the work that we’ve already been doing in this sphere, and also in relation to our Pacific nations of the 15 languages.
“A number of them are Pacific languages, such as Tongan, Samoan, Fijian, Cook Islands Maori, and Hindi, and French as well, so we are alive to that and hoping that we can really raise the profile and recognition and bring those complaints in,” she said.
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