Corruption

Publication date 28-02-2025, 11:14 | Last update 28-02-2025, 11:14

Corruption is abusing entrusted powers and/or authorities for personal gain. Corruption comes in all shapes and sizes, in various sectors and many different countries. Combating corruption is important because corruption undermines the people’s trust in honest trade and leads to unfair competition. Eventually, the customers pay too much for products and services, because the cost of corruption needs to be recouped.

What is corruption?

Corruption often goes together with other criminal offences such as forgery of documents, money laundering and participation in a criminal organisation. The most important form of corruption is bribery.

Bribery involves two parties, the briber and the one who is bribed. These may be individuals, public servants or companies. The purpose of the bribery is that the one who is bribed carries out or refrains from certain acts which results in the briber receiving unfair (business) advantages.

For example, bribery can take place with bribes or slush money that the briber pays to the one who is bribed. Sometimes, it happens that inflated amounts are invoiced and the extra money is shared, or that the person being bribed receives goods or services in exchange for the order or act. Extortion, intimidation or threat of violence to get something done are forms of corruption as well.   

What does the FIOD do to fight corruption?

At the Anti-Corruption Centre, specialists from the FIOD work on combating corruption. This allows us to identify and investigate corruption faster and better. This enables us to conduct both national and international investigations into corruption. Because corruption takes place all over the world, we are in close contact with the investigative services of other countries.

Our goal is to make and keep the risk of corruption a serious topic in the board rooms of Dutch companies. We want to create awareness that conducting business with integrity should be the norm.  This is because corruption has an undermining effect in the countries concerned and it disrupts fair competition.

The Anti-Corruption Centre is mainly focused on tracing foreign corruption of public servants and domestic bribery of individuals other than public servants.

What can I do to combat corruption?

Combating corruption begins with you. By conducting business the correct way and by not accepting corruption in your work. More information can be found in the brochure and the animated film 'conducting business fairly without corruption'. The brochure is a joint publication of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Security and Justice, Economy and business associations ICC Netherlands, VNO-NCW and MKB Netherlands.