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Home > News & Policies > October 2005

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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 27, 2005

Message to the Senate of the United States

TO THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES:

With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification, I transmit herewith the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (the "Corruption Convention"), which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on October 31, 2003. I also transmit, for the information of the Senate, the report of the Secretary of State with respect to the Corruption Convention, with an enclosure.

The international fight against corruption is an important foreign policy priority for the United States. Corruption hinders sustainable development, erodes confidence in democratic institutions, and facilitates transnational crime and terrorism. The Convention will be an effective tool to assist in the growing global effort to combat corruption.

The U.N. Corruption Convention is the first global multilateral treaty to comprehensively address the problems relating to corruption. It provides for a broad range of cooperation, including extradition and mutual legal assistance, and commits governments to take measures that will prevent corruption from happening in the first place. The Corruption Convention includes provisions to criminalize and prevent corruption and provides procedures for governments to recover assets that have been illicitly acquired by corrupt officials.

The provisions of the Corruption Convention are explained in the accompanying report of the Department of State. The report also sets forth proposed reservations that would be deposited by the United States with its instrument of ratification. With these reservations, the Convention will not require implementing legislation for the United States.

I recommend that the Senate give early and favorable consideration to the Corruption Convention and give its advice and consent to its ratification, subject to the reservations, understandings, and declarations described in the accompanying report of the Department of State.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

October 27, 2005.

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