THE OECD Working Group on Bribery has released its first evaluation report of Russia's implementation and enforcement of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (OECD Anti-Bribery Convention).The Report notes that some concerns remain in Russia's legislation for fighting foreign bribery that will need to be further reviewed. To address these concerns, the Working Group has recommended Russia to:

++ Explicitly and clearly ensures the criminalisation of ‘offer' and ‘promise' of a bribe as completed offences.

++ Ensure that third-party beneficiaries are covered by the Russian foreign bribery offence for legal persons.

++ Ensure that measures are available for the identification, seizure and confiscation of the bribe from natural and legal persons, the proceeds of the bribe or their equivalent value; and

++ Explicitly disallow the tax deductibility of bribes to foreign public officials.

Russia deposited its instrument of accession to the Anti-Bribery Convention on 17 February and will be a full Party to the Convention on 17 April 2012.