Anti-bribery through ISO 37001
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is a term that many people are familiar with, but what exactly is ISO 37001? How does it relate to Anti-Corruption giving and receiving bribes?
Bribery problems are a serious threat and impact every nation around the world. It disrupts economic systems and creates challenges obstacles for numerous nations. According to the World Bank, bribery accounts for as much as $1 trillion annually, which is equivalent to 3% of the global GDP. As such, the ISO is both, an independence organization and non-governmental international organization, whose mission is to establish international standards and therefore ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management System or ABMS has been developed by ISO. It is the international standard for a management system designed to prevent the giving and receiving of bribes. This anti-corruption management guideline is applicable to all types or sizes of organizations, including those in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Each country can use it as guidance to adopt and voluntarily implement these standards domestically.
International recognition exists for ISO 37001 as an instrument for corporate compliance programs and as a powerful internal control measure to prevent bribery of juristic persons. Many countries have implemented domestic regulations to incentivize and promote the adoption of ISO 37001 in both the private and public sectors.
The Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (The ONACC) as the main agency for prevention and suppression corruption of Thailand, recognizes of the importance of the anti-bribery problem solving. Therefore, the ONACC has amended the Organic Act on Anti-Corruption, B.E. 2561 (2018) by including provision that imposes criminal penalties of juristic person instances of bribery. This amendment has studied best practices from foreign countries and studied or adopted the principle of ISO 37001 into consideration in drafting Section 176 to the act as well, resulting in consistency with principle and practice of ISO 37001. For the propose of concrete mobilization and raising awareness of Section 176, the ONACC has established Anti-Bribery Advisory Service (ABAS) for mobilizing concretely. ABAS is a center that collects and disseminates various knowledge as well as giving advices to business sectors for anti-bribery adequate measure. In this regard, the ONACC prepares “Guidelines on Appropriate Internal Control Measures for Juristic Persons”, which align with ISO 37001. The guidelines and other interest document can be download via “https;//www.nacc.go.th/abas/”
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