Whether financial or material benefits, invitations to restaurants, trips or events – anyone who abuses a public office, a function in business or a political mandate in order to gain an unlawful advantage is guilty of corruption. The Criminal Code recognizes numerous criminal offenses and punishes them with up to 5 years imprisonment. In general, the perpetrators exploit their special position of power or trust. A distinction is made between situational and structural corruption. While situational corruption takes place spontaneously and without targeted planning, structural corruption is far more complex, longer-term and planned well in advance. In Germany, however, corruption is considered a rather rare phenomenon compared to other countries – Is this justified?

The damage caused by corruption is widespread

The statistics speak for themselves: even in Germany, crimes involving bribery and corruption as well as the acceptance and granting of advantages are anything but rare and thus a serious problem. The German Federal Criminal Police Office recorded 5,510 cases of corruption in 2020 alone, but the number of unreported cases is likely to be significantly higher, as many cases of corruption remain undetected. The financial damage caused by these crimes is enormous: it is estimated at around 81.2 million euros, which is more than 70% higher than in the previous year. Corrupt behaviour not only causes economic damage, but also leads to a serious loss of confidence in the integrity of the state and the economy. But in which economic sector does corruption occur particularly frequently? And how can companies protect themselves?

The service sector is particularly affected

Most cases of economic corruption occur in the service sector, followed by the construction, medical and pharmaceutical industries. More than 70% of the beneficiaries were public officials, mainly at the clerical level. In most cases, they received benefits in the form of cash payments. In more than half of the cases, the benefits were for obtaining official approvals. If companies are involved in cases of corruption, they not only face criminal and tax law consequences. Above all, the threat of loss of reputation can threaten the very existence of a company. It is therefore all the more important to provide employees and managers with comprehensive training and to make them aware of the legal framework. This is the only way to effectively prevent economic corruption. We at Security-Island have developed professional training solutions that support you in this endeavour.