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Alternative pathways to address impunity in grand corruption cases

Impunity is a central element of grand corruption, not only because it often follows this type of corruption but also because it allows for these schemes to be perpetuated. More broadly, the lack of punishment for perpetrators serves as encouragement for others to engage in similar misconduct. It also means that the rights of victims continue to be violated with little prospect of reparation. Grand corruption cases often go unpunished because of numerous obstacles to criminal prosecution in the countries in which related offences were committed. The goal of this Helpdesk Answer is to provide an overview of alternative pathways to address impunity in grand corruption cases. Some of the alternative pathways covered include international criminal courts, prosecution in an alternative jurisdiction, private prosecution, international commissions, civil litigation by law enforcement authorities, civil litigation led by victims or CSOs, administrative proceedings, sanctions by international organisations, targeted unilateral anti-corruption sanctions, human rights courts and procedures, and the OECD national contact points.

1 June 2023
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Alternative pathways to address impunity in grand corruption cases

Main points

  • Grand corruption cases often go unpunished because of numerous obstacles to criminal prosecution in the country in which offences were committed.
  • Common obstacles include a lack of resources, different criminal policy priorities, various forms of undue influence and corruption, weak legal frameworks and constrained independence of oversight, enforcement and justice institutions.
  • Alternative pathways to address impunity can be found in both criminal prosecution and civil litigations, as well as in non-judicial mechanisms.
  • For example, international criminal courts, prosecution in an alternative jurisdiction, private prosecution, international commissions, civil litigation by law enforcement authorities, victims or CSOs, administrative proceedings, sanctions by international organisations or individual countries.
  • Human rights legal instruments and tools provide some mechanisms to address impunity and ensure the victim’s right to reparation.

Cite this publication


France, G.; (2023) Alternative pathways to address impunity in grand corruption cases. Bergen: U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre, Chr. Michelsen Institute (U4 Helpdesk Answer 2023:13)

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Guilherme France

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All views in this text are the author(s)’, and may differ from the U4 partner agencies’ policies.

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

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