OECD Cancels Mission to Hungary Over Anti-Bribery Measures
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has called off a high-level mission to Hungary regarding anti-bribery measures due to the government’s failure to act on previous recommendations, some dating back over a decade.
The cancellation came after the Hungarian government was unable to secure sufficient representation of ministers and senior officials for the scheduled meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Concerns highlighted by the OECD include Hungary’s lack of understanding of foreign bribery risk exposure, an absence of a strategy for detecting and investigating foreign bribery cases, and a lack of legal clarity on corporate responsibility for foreign bribery.
The European Union and the United States have raised alarms about politically linked corruption in Hungary, leading to protests in March calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his chief prosecutor.
With the OECD now implementing additional measures for Hungary to address these issues, the spotlight remains on the country’s efforts to combat corruption and uphold democratic values.