Germany

Abstract

Germany is currently ranked among the top 12 in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index. The country achieved this ranking through substantial efforts in the last decades in legislation, in society, and in the business sector. Today, the corporate compliance management systems of many major German corporations serve as a benchmark in the corporate world. But there is still a lot of work to do. Germany does not yet have a corporate criminal code that holds legal entities criminally liable for corruption-related offenses. German authorities still do not have a uniform and standardized procedure for acknowledging adequate compliance management systems as an affirmative defense or mitigating factor to decrease administrative fines. Although repeatedly requested by the OECD, Germany also still lacks an express and explicit law that grants specific protection to whistle-blowers from retaliation in the private sector, though many German corporations have already set up highly sophisticated whistle-blower systems. This chapter provides an overview on the most important statutory provisions and draft bills with regard to anti-corruption in Germany. Further, the chapter discusses how companies in Germany can take appropriate measures in order to navigate safely through the challenges of corruption-related liability in today’s competitive business environment.