Patrick Moulette, head of the OECD Working Group on Bribery, told a panel on fighting corruption at Galatasaray University in Istanbul that an OECD evaluation team plans to visit Türkiye in May to assess how the country applies the Anti-Bribery Convention. A final report is expected by the end of October.
Moulette noted that the OECD adopted the Anti-Bribery Convention in 1997, and it has since been signed by 36 countries. He said public attitudes have shifted, with citizens showing less tolerance for corrupt practices. Under the convention, punishment extends beyond officials who accept bribes to include individuals and companies that offer, promise, or attempt to provide them.
The OECD process begins with a review of national legislation, followed by an expert assessment of how the rules are applied in practice. Türkiye is among eight countries yet to undergo the review; 28 others have already been evaluated. Moulette said Türkiye carries particular responsibility given the scale of its major corporations and its role in regional and global commerce.
Separately, Turkish Economy Bank chairman Yavuz Canevi cited a 2003 PricewaterhouseCoopers report estimating that bureaucratic barriers blocked roughly 2 billion dollars in foreign investment that year, adding that EU accession efforts should help address such obstacles.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in January 2007, in its own words.