Bordering on corruption: an analysis of corrupt customs practices that impact the trading community

This article analyses various forms of customs corruption that directly or indirectly impact the international trading community. In doing so, it examines some of the practicalities facing reformists, drawing extensively on a series of interviews conducted by the author with members of both the public and private sectors, across Asia, Africa, the Pacific and Middle East.1 The author rejects the notion that certain types of corruption represent victimless crimes, contending that in all situations the government, and ultimately the community, is a victim of crime. The article includes an examination of ways in which corruption may be addressed, and identifies the need for governments to focus their anti-corruption efforts on initiatives that will increase the likelihood of detecting such offences. While identifying Codes of Conduct as prerequisites for reducing levels of corrupt behaviour, the author highlights the need for both government officials and members of the public to have confidence that any breaches of their provisions will be properly enforced, with no fear of reprisal. The author concludes that the success of any anti-corruption initiative is dependent upon the political, social and cultural environment in which it is based.