Transparency International criticizes Turkey

Transparency International has criticized the poor criminal liability of legal entities in Turkey, in addition to political interference in foreign bribery investigations, in a report titled "Exporting Corruption" that was revealed Aug. 20. 

"The criminal liability of legal entities is not appropriately covered by the criminal laws of Estonia, Latvia, Mexico and Poland and Turkey," the report read. 

"At the same time, the parliaments of Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia and Argentina are debating bills addressing the same issue, and in the Slovak Republic, the relevant law enters into force in July 2015," it said. 

Judicial independence was another issue of concern. 

"The lack independence of the Slovak judiciary has raised serious concerns, and in Turkey the risks that political interference may have an impact on foreign bribery investigations and prosecutions are even more acute," the report said. 

Turkey was listed among the countries with "Little or No Enforcement" of the OECD Convention on Combatting Foreign Bribery along with the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden, Hungary, South Africa, Portugal, Greece, New Zealand Italy, Canada, Australia, Austria, Norway, Finland, Japan, Russia, Spain, Belgium, Mexico, Brazil, Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Argentina, Chile, Israel and Slovakia.