December 9 is International Anti-corruption Day. It is an annual opportunity to bring attention to the continued importance of combating corruption, ensuring accountability, and fostering transparency. The United States is stepping up its efforts to combat corruption and support honest governance around the world. President Biden, in a June 3 memorandum, elevated the fight against global corruption to a national security priority and anti-corruption efforts were considered one of three pillars of this year’s Summit for Democracy.
This year the U.S. Embassy commemorated International Anti-corruption Day by inviting Georgian officials to participate in a virtual three-day “Public Corruption and Law Enforcement Techniques” course conducted by INL’s International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA). Investigators from the Anti-Corruption Agency of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) and prosecutors from the Prosecution Service of Georgia (PSG) learned how the FBI conducts investigations into public corruption in the United States. The class examined case studies to learn about the techniques used to investigate public corruption. Representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, North Macedonia, and Serbia also participated in the course.