FIATA issues guide to help forwarders combat corruption
03 / 10 / 2019
Freight forwarder organisation FIATA has published a guide to help freight forwarders combat corruption.
The group pointed out that The Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 of Transparency International reported more than two-thirds of 180 countries and territories scored below 50 on a scale of between 0, highly corrupt, and 100, very clean, revealing that the world economy is still heavily burdened by corruption.
FIATA said that as a sector deeply involved in cross-border trade and frequently interacting with public officials, the international logistics and freight forwarding industry has a relatively high risk of exposure to corruption or bribery.
Richard Gluck, chair of FIATA’s advisory body legal matters, said: “Our member companies requested a guide to combat bribery and corruption. This best practices paper, developed with support from FIATA’s Customs Affairs Institute, emphasizes the significance of establishing and implementing a systematic anti-bribery policy in the enterprise, with a strong leadership commitment against bribery behaviour.
“It recommends adoption of clear rules on sensitive issues like gift-giving, facilitation payments and employment of third-party service providers. Recommended processes to deal with bribery solicitations from public officials are also included to help members in such situations.”
FIATA president Babar Badat added: “Fighting against corruption and bribery is critical to create a level-playing field for the logistics and freight forwarding industry and to lower the costs of trade for the entire supply chain. No one can win this fight on their own. FIATA will continue to work with all stakeholders and strive for a better business environment for the industry.”
