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The Portuguese Parliament recently enacted Law 30/2015, of 22 April, aiming to comply with the recommendations addressed to Portugal on corruption by GRECO, UN and OECD, making ​​amendments to the Criminal Code, the law on crimes of responsibility of political offices and high public offices (Law 34/87), the law relating to corruption in international trade and in the private sector (Law 20/2008), the law relating to corruption in the sports activity (Law 50/2007) and the law related to ensuring whistleblowers in corruption related matters (Law 19/2008). Law 30/2015, of 22 April resulted from the combination of two proposals from the two major political parties in Portugal (PSD and PS). Such projects aimed, in turn, to give satisfaction to recommendations made by GRECO (under the II cycle of mutual evaluations on the implementation of Criminal Law Convention of the Council of Europe on corruption, 1999), the United Nations (in the context of implementing the Convention against Corruption 2003, known as Merida Convention) and the OECD (under the Convention application against Corruption of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, 1997). This law is an additional contribution to the prosecution of corruption and related crimes introducing changes to the Criminal Code, the Law on the crimes of responsibility of political offices holders and senior public offices (Law 34/87 of 16 July), the law relating to corruption in international trade and in the private sector (Law 20/2008 of 21 April), the law relating to corruption in the sports activity (Law 50/2007, 31 August) and the law related to ensuring whistle-blowers in corruption related matters (Law 19/2008 of 21 April). All of the amendments are recommended changes for some years now by international organizations as a result of evaluations that were conducted within the framework of conventions to which Portugal is part, and were now made law, in a year of significant events related to suspicion of corruption, bribery and influence peddling in Portugal by important individuals in the political and financial area. This change demonstrates that the topic is part of the public debate and no political force wants to stay behind in demonstrating its commitment to combat these crimes.

Author

Ricardo Henriques is an associated partner at Abreu Advogados. He has focused his practice on Intellectual Property Law, Information Society, New Technologies, Marketing and Advertising, Telecommunications and Competition Law.

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