Unfortunately, there is also evidence that some businesses bribe customs, tax and procurement officials in order to smuggle goods, avoid tax payments and secure lucrative public sector projects. All this, however, results in lower government revenues, lower expenditures on its citizens and lower quality public infrastructure. Cross border money laundering of corruption proceeds in safe and secret foreign accounts also typifies the internationalization of corruption. Deals are made and funds are transferred overseas in a matter of seconds. Traditional control mechanisms can as easily be avoided as the new financial transfer technology is abused.
Internationalized corruption is vast and complex.
It involves the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, the greedy and the survivors, the offenders and the victims. The challenge facing most countries and the international community is the completion of the anti-corruption control chain in which we are all only as strong as our weakest link in the chain. These challenges require concentrated and co-ordinated efforts internationally, regionally and within each country. South Africa continues to play a strong anti-corruption role in all three arenas. Among other things, it requires countries to criminalize public corruption.