Corupția și Combaterea Ei

ABSTRACT

From an etymologic pint of view, the word “corruption” comes from the Latin word “corrumpere”, which means to degrade (oneself), to violate the norms of morality etc.

Different definitions given to corruption as a phenomenon existed and still exist in the Romanian and also in the foreign specialty doctrine.

One of these definitions is the one given by the European Council in the Criminal Convention on Corruption, to which Romania adhered on January 27, 1999 and which stipulates, in its essence, that the notion of corruption is the abusive use of power to one’s own advantage in order to obtain different kinds of benefits, in both the public and private sector, manifesting itself in a passive and active form.

At present we do not have a legal injunction to doubtlessly define the concept of corruption.

There is also no contravention which bears the strict name of corruption. Law no. 78/2000 only regulates the contraventions of corruption within the variants of incrimination of the respective texts.

In the Criminal Code, the corruption contraventions are the ones stipulated in articles 254, 255, 256 and 257.

At present, corruption is facing an emphasis without precedent at all levels. Acts of corruption are to be found at almost all the levels of economic and social life.

The high degree of social danger that corruption acts represent imposes the control and sanctioning of these acts by creating an adequate normative frame, by creating certain anticorruption organisms efficient a an institutional level and, last but not least, by taking educational measures, that is to eliminate the Oriental – Balkan type mentality and the tolerance towards small type corruption, perceived by the public opinion as proof of a good education and gratefulness towards the clerk who is only fulfilling a duty according to his or her job description. At present, a growing preoccupation towards this phenomenon is manifesting in Romania, concretized in the creation of specialized organisms, harsher sanctions, the cooperation with other countries and international organisms. In order to accomplish this, on January 27, 1999, Romania’s permanent representative in the European Council signed, together with other 18 member states, the Criminal Convention on Corruption, adopted on November 4, 1998 on the occasion of the 103rd session of the European council Ministers Committee. The stipulations of this document complete the ones of the European Union Convention of May 1997 and the ones of the OCDE Convention of December 1997. Starting with the year 2001, problems of the corruption phenomenon have been one of the priorities of the governing program, as being a condition of admission into NATO and into the European Union. As a result, corruption has become a defiance aimed at the historic aspiration to synchronize and integrate with the western countries.

Setting out with these aspects in mind, and motivated by the necessity of realizing a general healthy framework for the market economy based on the criterion of real competition, Romania’s President and Government have taken resolute measures in order to stimulate the prevention and fighting measures against the corruption phenomenon and the measures to solidify the state institutions with attributions in this sense, in which a very important role has been given to the National Anticorruption Department. The National Anticorruption Department has made operative collaborations with similar organizations from other countries, such as Germany, France, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, Great Britain and so on, and also with the Antifraud Combat Office, in order to resolve certain case files which are close to being resolved.

The collaboration with the Antifraud Combat Office is very important and has privileged the realization of a direct cooperation, through the access of the National Anticorruption Department to the database of the Antifraud Combat Office, which permits both transparency and high efficiency. An efficient strategy against corruption has at its basis the priority of prevention activities towards the suppressed ones, because the later ones presume a preexistent contamination of the social medium, and also complex and long lasting actions at great costs and gradual results.

Thus, corruption has been and can still be limited, especially through measures with a social, economic and politic character. Furthermore, measures towards the consolidation of functional market economy, the insurance of the stability of public institutions, the adoption of coherent and complete legislation can contribute to the consolidation of the legal status. The corruption phenomenon is universal and is not specific to the Romanian society. It is especially characteristic to a transitional society, which is more vulnerable.

The National Anticorruption Department has decided to initiate, as a forthcoming perspective, ample anticorruption operations, well under laid and which can involve the participation of all the state’s institutions with attributions regarding the prevention and fighting of this phenomenon. The National Anticorruption Department’s most important objective is made up of the identification and militarization of greater corruption, of organized corruption structures and of contravention ties with transnational criminal acts.

In order to assert with certitude that although corruption is, at present, an organized, specialized and professionalized phenomenon, the state has created the necessary instrument for a resolute action to prevent and fight these acts.

CAPITOLUL I. CARACTERISTICI GENERALE ASUPRA NOŢIUNII ŞI NORMELOR DE DREPT PRIVIND CORUPŢIA ŞI COMBATEREA EI

1.1 CONSIDERAŢII GENERALE PRIVIND CORUPŢIA

Globalizarea fenomenului corupţiei, diversificarea formelor şi tipurilor corupţiei, precum şi implicaţiile nefaste ale acesteia asupra sistemelor sociale au impus conceperea şi elaborarea unor strategii adecvate de prevenire şi combatere a acestui flagel.

Convenţia penală a Consiliului Europei privind corupţia, adoptată la Strasbourg la 27 ianuarie 1999 şi ratificată de România prin Legea nr.27/2002, evidenţiază faptul că fenomenul corupţiei constituie o ameninţare pentru democraţie, subminează principiile de bună administrare, echitate şi justiţie socială, denaturează concurenţa, împiedică dezvoltarea economică şi pune în pericol stabilitatea instituţiilor democratice şi bazele morale ale societăţii.

Având în vedere complexitatea şi caracterul insidios al faptelor de corupţie, conexitatea acestora cu o varietate largă de infracţiuni din sfera macro-criminalităţii economico-financiare şi dificultăţile semnificative de identificare şi de investigare, mai ales în cazul funcţionarilor cu rang înalt, organismele europene şi internaţionale au recomandat statelor să înfiinţeze instituţii specializate în lupta împotriva corupţiei.

În România, structura de stat specializată în combaterea infracţiunilor de corupţie a fost înfiinţată, în anul 2002, prin Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului nr.43/2002 privind Parchetul Naţional Anticorupţie.

Rapoartele asupra corupţiei din România, realizate în decursul anilor de către Banca Mondială, Transparency International sau Freedom House Washington Inc. , au subliniat că, deşi în ultimii ani ţara noastră a înregistrat tendinţe de întărire a capacităţii legislative şi instituţionale de combatere a corupţiei, se impune aplicarea unor reforme şi măsuri anticorupţie concrete, care să consolideze domnia legii, să contribuie la creşterea nivelului de trai al populaţiei şi la dezvoltarea durabilă a României, „bunele practici” nefiind încă instituţionalizate în structurile aparatului administraţiei publice, al justiţiei, poliţiei sau vămilor.