Hon Judith Collins
Minister of Justice
18 October 2013Media Statement
Bill supports zero-tolerance for organised crime
Justice Minister Judith Collins says the Government’s comprehensive approach to fighting all forms of organised crime
will help safeguard New Zealand’s economy, international reputation and public safety.
This month a number of international bodies are evaluating New Zealand’s compliance with international standards related
to financial crimes – including the OECD, which will report on New Zealand’s compliance with an international convention
to combat bribery of foreign public officials.
“I welcome the release of these reports. This Government takes all forms of organised crime and corruption very
seriously,” Ms Collins says.
“New Zealand has a strong international reputation for being free from – and intolerant of – corruption. We
consistently rank first on Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index, which ranks countries by perceived
corruption levels among public officials and politicians.”
Ms Collins notes the OECD report focuses on a single criminal offence – bribery of foreign public officials in
international business transactions. It does not assess New Zealand’s enforcement of domestic bribery or other
corruption offences.
“As we know from recent cases, New Zealand has a zero-tolerance approach to domestic corruption, and takes the same
approach to investigating foreign bribery, when it’s reported.
“It’s also important to consider bribery and corruption within the big picture of organised crime, which undermines
public safety, national security, economic development and good governance.”
As announced earlier this year, Ms Collins expects to introduce the Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill
to Parliament before the end of the year. The Bill puts in place many of the measures at the heart of the ongoing ‘All
of Government Response to Organised Crime’ strategy. This will include measures to tackle crimes such as money
laundering, identify theft, human trafficking and corruption.
“This Bill will help ensure New Zealand maintains our reputation as a responsible international citizen and that our
domestic law enforcement agencies have the tools they need to fight all forms of organised crime.
“We’re sending a clear message to international and domestic criminals – New Zealand will not tolerate their
activities.”
ENDS