Foreign bribery: Serious Fraud Office launches campaign and online reporting tool

The Serious Fraud Office has launched a campaign to raise awareness of foreign bribery and a new tool for whistleblowers. Photo / NZME

• The Serious Fraud Office has launched a campaign and whistleblower tool to combat foreign bribery.
• SFO director Karen Chang said bribery was difficult to detect and relied on insiders to report it.
• Chang says if left unchecked it could end up undermining trust in New Zealand as a place for business.

The Serious Fraud Office has launched a new campaign and whistleblower tool to combat foreign bribery, warning that if left unchecked, it will erode trust, transparency, and fair competition in New Zealand.

It could be a New Zealand company paying a foreign official for market access, a bribe from an overseas company to a Kiwi public official, or a foreign company giving kickbacks to a private sector employee.

It is notoriously difficult to detect, and the country’s close-knit professional sectors make reporting challenging, Serious Fraud Office (SFO) director Karen Chang said.

The SFO launched its campaign in downtown Auckland this morning at an event attended by Police Minister Mark Mitchell.

“Our national advertising campaign and new reporting platform is a crucial step in making it easier and safer for people to come forward,” Chang said.

In previous cases, the SFO said it had found the best way to detect foreign bribery was from whistleblowers.

However, fear of retaliation, reputational damage or career consequences often stops people from reporting information, the SFO said.

“We know that anonymous reporting can be difficult in New Zealand’s close-knit communities and professional networks. We also recognise that foreign bribery is not widely understood as a crime type.

“That’s why we are launching a national advertising campaign and investing in a platform that protects identities while allowing secure follow-up with our investigators. The service will be accessible in multiple languages to reach as many people as possible.”

The online platform will be encrypted to make for “a highly secure communication channel”, the SFO said, using ‘WhistleB’, a platform from global security firm Navex.

Chang said the platform was similar to tools already used by other regulators and would be configured to meet “the highest possible settings for privacy and data security”.

She said it also aligned with recommendations from international bodies like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

“Our message is simple: if you see something, report it. If you’re unsure, get in touch anyway,” Chang said.

“We all have an interest in ensuring that business is conducted ethically and in a way that enhances New Zealand’s reputation as an attractive place to invest.”

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news and local stories from Tāmaki Makaurau. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.

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