Combating Global Corruption Act of 2025
The Combating Global Corruption Act of 2025 would create a formal, annual process to identify and categorize foreign governments by their level of corruption and their efforts to combat it. It establishes a three-tier ranking (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3) based on minimum standards for eliminating corruption. Tier 3 countries would become the focus for potential U.S. action under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, with evaluations and sanctions possible on foreign individuals engaged in significant corruption. The bill also requires the State Department to designate embassy anti-corruption points of contact in certain countries to coordinate efforts and train staff, and it mandates reporting and public publication of the tiered list. Overall, the bill aims to incentivize reforms, increase transparency, and extend U.S. sanctions leverage against major corruption actors abroad.
Key Points
- 1Tiered ranking system and annual publication: The Secretary of State must publicly publish, each year, a tiered list ranking all countries as Tier 1 (compliant), Tier 2 (making efforts), or Tier 3 (minimal/no efforts) toward eliminating corruption, based on minimum standards.
- 2Minimum standards for eliminating corruption: The bill requires countries to enact and implement anti-corruption laws, enforce them through fair judicial processes, impose commensurate penalties for significant corruption, and demonstrate serious, sustained anti-corruption efforts (including prevention).
- 3Factors and international commitments used to assess efforts: The Secretary of State would consider factors such as criminalization and prosecution of corruption, protection of victims and whistleblowers, judicial independence, cooperation in international investigations, financial transparency measures, anti-corruption education, and adherence to key international treaties (e.g., OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, UN conventions).
- 4Sanctions mechanism under the Global Magnitsky Act: For Tier 3 countries, the State Department (with Treasury) would evaluate whether foreign persons engaged in significant corruption should be sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act. The State would report, within 180 days of list publication and annually thereafter, on those sanctions, including who is sanctioned, when, and why.
- 5Embassy anti-corruption points of contact and training: The Secretary of State would annually designate an anti-corruption point of contact at each relevant embassy (Tier 2 or Tier 3 or others in need). These points would coordinate cross-agency anti-corruption efforts, promote good governance, and support risk assessment and mitigation; appropriate training would be provided.