State Department Welcomes Senate Ratification of OAS Inter-American Convention Against Corruption

Washington, D.C., August 1, 2000

Statement by Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman

On July 27 the U.S. Senate approved the OAS Inter-American Convention on Corruption, opening the door for the United States to join 19 other countries in the hemisphere that have ratified the agreement. The Convention is designed to fight corruption in the government arena by strengthening cooperation on extradition, mutual legal assistance, and asset forfeiture for corruption-related crimes.

The Convention, which was the first anti-corruption treaty instrument in the world, commits the United States and other OAS countries to criminalize a wide range of corrupt acts and strengthen preventive measures.

We look forward to working with other OAS countries on the full implementation of the Convention and on the development of an evaluation mechanism for the Convention.