20 APRIL/MAY 2018 www.vanguardcanada.com
ComplianCe
does not eliminate
Corruption –
but that's changing
Anti-BriBery
BY PAT POITEvIN
T
here is not a week that goes by
where we do not see a head-
line reporting some type of
bribery and corruption scan-
dal, or yet another example of
unethical behaviour by an executive or pol-
itician. The defence industry globally has
had its share of corruption related scan-
dals in the past several years. From the Fat
Leonard scandal in Asia to allegations of
unethical business practices in defence pro-
curement at home, these types of headlines
sully corporate reputations, erode public
confidence, and often trigger changes in
government procurement processes.
Having recently retired from the RCMP
after a 35-year career, spending several
years as the Compliance and Anti-Corrup-
tion expert with the Sensitive and Inter-
national Investigations Unit, these types
of headlines should not really surprise me.
The leaks from the Panama and Paradise
Papers, along with the increased reporting
of corruptions amongst company execu-
tives, are highlighting the seriousness and
the global impact of corruption.
One could easily become jaded and cyni-
cal by these constant reminders of how
some people let greed and a lack of in-
tegrity distort their moral compass. Bom-
barded by continual headlines of corporate
and government corruption, the general
public cannot be blamed for their anger,
distrust and frustration at such behaviour.
These feelings are further fueled by the be-
lief that those actively involved in corrupt
conduct are not being made to account for
their unethical and criminal behaviour.
Technology and a new
generation of business leaders
is leading us in the right
direction
Contrary to the prevailing wisdom, how-
ever, I see this growing trend of headlines
and scandals as a very good sign that we
are on the right path to slowly changing
the culture and environment that has al-
lowed corruption to thrive for so many
years. The reality is that ten, even five years
ago, we would not have seen these head-
lines. Those corruption scandals would
have been buried, and the individuals in-
volved would have continued to operate