The United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) anti-corruption framework targets bribery of domestic and foreign officials, corruption, and even facilitation payments. The laws, which appear in legislative initiatives regulating a variety of industries and areas, create a robust system to combat both public and private-sector corruption and bribery. A 2016 amendment to the Federal Penal Code strengthened the legal framework against public corruption, fraud, and embezzlement with a view to strengthening the laws that protect the public trust. The anti-corruption framework can be found primarily in the UAE’s civil law, its Federal Human Resources Law, and its penal code. The enforcement is handled by the police, the Office of the Public Prosecutor, the Ministry of Justice, and the State Audit Institution. Given the increased international cooperation between regulatory agencies, the UAE’s enforcement agencies and its regulators will be at the forefront of the global fight against corruption. This is especially true given the UAE’s growing importance in regional and global financial markets.