International Anti-Corruption Commitments

Title of the document

African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption

Issuing body

African Union

Brief description

This is the regional anti-corruption framework in Africa, representing regional consensus on what African states should do in the areas of prevention, criminalisation, international cooperation and asset recovery

Relevant excerpts

Article 16: Confiscation and Seizure of the Proceeds and Instrumentalities of Corruption

Article 17: Banking Secrecy

1. Each State Party shall adopt such measures necessary to empower its courts or other competent authorities to order the confiscation or seizure of banking, financial or commercial documents with a view to implementing this Convention.

3. State Parties shall not invoke banking secrecy to justify their refusal to cooperate with regard to acts of corruption and related offences by virtue of this Convention.

Article 18: Cooperation and Mutual Legal Assistance

1. In accordance with their domestic laws and applicable treaties, State Parties shall provide each other with the greatest possible technical cooperation and assistance in dealing immediately with requests from authorities that are empowered by virtue of their national laws to prevent, detect, investigate and punish acts of corruption and related offences.

3. State Parties shall co-operate among themselves in conducting and exchanging studies and researches on how to combat corruption and related offences and to exchange expertise relating to preventing and combating corruption and related offences.

4. State Parties shall co-operate among themselves, where possible, in providing any available technical assistance in drawing up programmes, codes of ethics or organizing, where necessary and for the benefit of their personnel, joint training courses involving one or several states in the area of combating corruption and related offences.