Former French Finance Minister Sapin: Fighting Corruption Requires Good Legislation and Institutions to Implement It

Momchil Rusev

Former French Finance Minister Michel Sapin (BTA Photo)

Sofia,

09.11.2023 12:49

(BTA)

Fighting corruption requires good legislation and institutions to implement it, said former French Finance Minister Michel Sapin at the opening of the Anti-Corruption, Democratic Resilience and Economic Security Forum in Sofia on Thursday. The event is organized by the Center for the Study of Democracy.

„It also requires perseverance because if you stop making efforts, nothing will be effective,“ he added.

He highlighted three aspects of the French experience in fighting corruption. The first was prevention, with Sapin pointing out that the work of the French anti-corruption agency involves alerting people to risks and educationg them. The second aspect was extraterritoriality, Sapin said, explaining that if a Bulgarian company operating in Bulgaria commits an act of corruption in the country, but the company belongs to a French business group, France can hold that Bulgarian company accountable. “The third aspect is related to court settlements, with which we achieve very good results,” the former Finance Minister said.

Sapin also pointed out that France created legislation related to the financing of political parties, noting that previously they were financed by companies.

"When there is a lot of corruption, the economy develops badly, when corruption is at an international level, competition no longer functions," he stressed.

The event was also attended by Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi, Justice Minister Atanas Slavov, Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov, Interior Ministry Secretary General Zhivko Kotsev, representatives of the Bulgarian office of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, as well as Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev and others.

/MR/