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"Don't Bribe for Me, Argentina": Corruption Risks on the Río de la Plata

Corporate Compliance Insights

In this article, Matteson Ellis discusses common corruption risks in Argentina. For example, "Argentina has a bad reputation for corruption among its customs officials," he writes, highlighting bribery among customs officials as one of the most severe risks for both multinational corporations and local companies whose businesses rely on imports. Other concerns that elevate corruption risks in Argentina include shell companies set up within Argentina (or offshore) to hide or improperly channel funds, currency exchange control issues, dramatic economic policy changes within the country, and "capitalism among friends" -- the tendency of government officials to direct business to entities with which they are personally related. These issues, Ellis says, "are difficult realities to acknowledge -- especially since they involve a country of which I am so fond, and that has so much potential."