Nearly 150 businesses will this week be given a Transparency International (TI) guide on how to assess their risk of bribery and corruption.
The guide, written in a practical DIY style to help companies get to grips with the complex nature of bribery, was handed out at a PwC Fraud Academy event on Wednesday night.
It has been produced with the support of PwC Forensics partner, Will Kenyon, who acted as lead author and comes hot on the heels of TI’s recent Global Corruption Barometer (GCB), which showed that over half of people surveyed believed bribery has got worse over the past two years.
The top 10 risk assessment in the new document stresses leadership from the top is fundamental along with regular communications among staff. Included in the document is a practical risk assessment map which shows a step-by-step approach to assessing and reporting on issues.
“Bribery and corruption are not just on the agenda of most governments and businesses, they are becoming a top priority,” said PwC partner, Will Kenyon. “The fact that we had such an overwhelming response to our Fraud Academy event reinforces that.”
Executive Director of TI UK, Robert Barrington, spoke at the launch and said that the recent TI corruption survey showed that the issue was still very widespread and that further action was needed.
“Thanks to the support of PwC we have produced a practical guide, offering practical advice based on real-life experience on how to conduct an effective bribery risk assessment.”
Gap analysis is another useful tool firms can adopt in assessing risk, which will show a firm where, in its risk assessment, there are areas of no, or inadequate controls, using whistle-blowing as an example.
