美国早在40年前就颁布有关法律，禁止公司为获得在其他国家经营业务的机会采取行贿行为。长期以来只有美国颁布了这样的禁令。

后来，世界很多地方都相继采取类似措施。1997年，经济合作与安全组织（Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development）颁布反行贿公约（Anti-Bribery Convention）。2003年，联合国通过反腐败公约，现已有181个国家参加公约的签署。

有关国家的执法机构协同美国司法部（U.S. Department of Justice）和证券交易委员会（Securities and Exchange Commission）对无视国际禁令的公司采取行动，没收了数亿美元的贿款。在美国国内行贿则触犯了其他相关法律。

美国一些大公司的负责人说，不采取行贿或给予回扣的做法有利于开展海外经营，并没有对销售和利润造成拖累。

诚信受益

航空和国防企业雷神公司（Raytheon Co.）总裁托马斯∙肯尼迪（Thomas Kennedy）说，遵守海外反腐败法（Foreign Corrupt Practices Act）对公司有利。他不同意有些人关于企业在全球拓展业务就无法顾及道德的说法。去年，该公司在海外80多个国家的销售占总销售的三分之一。

雷神副总裁兼法务长弗兰克∙希门尼斯（Frank Jimenez）说，“我们的客户希望与有诚信的公司开展业务。”

打击腐败是美国国家安全政策的一个基石，不仅仅是出于明显的道德原因，而且也因为腐败充斥的国家不可避免地会出现很多其他问题。腐败会损害经济增长，阻碍发展，导致政府不稳定，破坏民主，为罪犯、走私犯和恐怖主义分子造成可乘之机。

支付高额罚款

美国执法人员根据反行贿法征收的罚款已达110亿美元。罚款对象是美国公司和在美国股票交易市场上市的外国公司。

2008年，德国集团公司西门子（Siemens）因向5大洲的官员行贿，向美国和德国有关当局支付了16亿罚款。

去年9月，瑞典电讯公司特利亚（Telia）与美国和荷兰有关当局就在乌兹别克斯坦大规模行贿一事达成了支付9.65亿美元的和解方案。

美国大公司实际上都制定了相关的行为准则，不仅禁止行贿，而且要求供应商和中介公司引起重视。雷神公司还以15种文字发布指导条例。

谷歌（Google）的行为准则写到，“我们在谷歌的规定很简单——不论什么时候，不论出于什么原因，都不得向任何人行贿。”

目前腐败仍然是一个很严重的问题，例如操纵合同竞标，向海关官员行贿等，世界银行（World Bank）估计，每年工商企业和个人支付的贿款达1.5万亿美元。

Forty years ago, the United States enacted a law forbidding companies from paying bribes to earn business in other countries. For a long while it was the only country with such a prohibition.

Eventually much of the world followed suit. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development adopted its Anti-Bribery Convention in 1997, and the United Nations in 2003 approved its own compact, now signed by 181 states.

Their enforcement agencies have teamed with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to wrest hundreds of millions of dollars from companies that flouted international bans. In the U.S., domestic bribery violates other laws.

Leaders of major U.S. companies say refusing to pay bribes or kickbacks is good for their overseas business, not a hindrance to sales or drag on profits.

Honesty pays

Obeying the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been good for Raytheon Company, says Thomas Kennedy, its chairman. He rejects the notion that businesses can’t be ethical and grow globally. Last year the aerospace and defense company racked up a third of sales in more than 80 countries overseas.

“Our customers like doing business with an honest company,” says Frank Jimenez, a Raytheon vice president and general counsel.

Fighting corruption is a cornerstone of U.S. national security policy, not only for the obvious moral reasons, but also because countries rife with corruption invariably suffer a host of other problems. Corruption saps economic growth, hinders development, destabilizes governments, undermines democracy, and provides openings for criminals, traffickers and terrorists.

Paying a steep price

U.S. enforcers have imposed nearly $11 billion in fines under the anti-bribery law. It applies to both U.S. companies and foreign companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges.

The German conglomerate Siemens paid $1.6 billion to U.S. and German authorities in 2008 for bribing officials on five continents.

Last September the Swedish telecommunications company Telia reached a $965 million settlement with U.S. and Dutch authorities for a massive bribery scheme in Uzbekistan.

Virtually every major U.S. company has a code of conduct that forbids bribery and requires suppliers and intermediaries to pay heed. Raytheon publishes its guide in 15 languages.

Google’s code states, “The rule for us at Google is simple: Don’t bribe anybody, anytime, for any reason.”

But corruption still remains an enormous problem in some places, from rigging contract awards to bribing customs officers. The World Bank estimates businesses and individuals pay $1.5 trillion in bribes each year.