Navigating Through Corruption and Money Laundering in International Arbitration: A Toolkit for Arbitrators and Counsel

Arbitral tribunals and counsel have to address corruption and money laundering with ever increasing frequency in both commercial and investment arbitration. In light of the growing regulation and awareness in this area, as well as the risk that an award may not be enforceable, arbitrators can no longer shy away from dealing with corruption and money laundering. Since no clear guidelines were available to arbitrators and counsel in the past, it was more often than not a daunting task to work through such complex issues. Earlier this year, the Competence Centre for Arbitration and Crime of the University of Basel and the Basel Institute on Governance published a Toolkit that will assist arbitrators and counsel in navigating through issues of corruption and money laundering. In this article, the authors, who were closely involved in the conception and drafting of the Toolkit, share the background and the aims of the Toolkit and provide a brief overview of its workings