US justice official cites use of rewards, threats in fight vs corruption

MANILA, Philippines—A former senior counsel of the US Department of Justice has cited the importance of giving incentives to reward companies that cooperate with law enforcement in fighting corruption and, on the other hand, of issuing threats to investigate those that fail to come forward with information regarding corruption.

Office of the Ombudsman

Adam Lurie, guest lecturer at the 4th Integrity Lecture Series organized by the Office of the Ombudsman at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) last week, spoke on the importance of tapping private sector participation in the government’s fight against graft and corruption.

Lurie also cited the importance of the use of wiretap devices, of access to financial documents or bank records, and the adoption of whistle-blower laws as critical tools for US law enforcement.

Zero-tolerance policy

In his lecture entitled “The Vital Role of Government in Encouraging Private Sector Participation and Cooperation in Anti-Corruption and Complex Enforcement,” Lurie discussed how American companies adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards bribery and corruption.

He said the United States government developed a compliance and ethics program that initiates due diligence within a company and promotes an organizational culture of commitment to compliance with the law.  The program also defined what are acceptable gifts to public officials, he said.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Teresita Herbosa, Prosecutor General Claro Arellano, deputy mission director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Reed Aeschliman, and Makati Business Club chair Ramon del Rosario Jr. served as panel reactors at the forum.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said she hoped that policy-makers and decision-makers in both the public and private sectors could be engaged in devising or improving anticorruption strategies through improved legislation, interagency cooperation and collaborative effort with the private sector.

Strategic partnership

The Integrity Lecture Series (ILS) aims to communicate and engage the public and private sectors on the various programs and projects of the Office of the Ombudsman to further build a broad-based strategic partnership of all anticorruption stakeholders.

In partnership with the ADB, USAID, United Nations Development Program and Metrobank Foundation, the ILS is part of the Ombudsman Integrity Caravan which seeks to engage advocacy partners and promote dialogue on good governance.

The first three ILS episodes featured lectures by Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, former commissioner of Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission) on Sept. 13, 2013; Bertrand de Speville, former commissioner of Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption, on Nov. 12, 2013; and Dr. Barry A.K. Rider, professor at the University of Cambridge, on Jan. 14, 2014.

Aside from the ILS, other activities under the Ombudsman Caravan include Public Governance Forum, University Integrity Tours, Integrity Development Contest and Barangay Integrity Fora.

The Ombudsman Integrity Caravan is one of the projects during the yearlong celebration of the Office of the Ombudsman’s 25th anniversary which commenced in May 2013.