O papel do sector empresarial no combate à corrupção: algumas considerações em torno do caso Português

This article is about the role of the business sector in the fight against corruption in Portugal. By corruption it is meant the abuse of office, public or private, for personal benefit or that of third parties. Some forms of corruption fall under the current legal framework and constitute criminal offences, other do not imply an infringement to the law, but are still regarded as improper business conduct. It is suggested that firms are both a major part of the problem and of the solution. Certain aspects of the Portuguese business environment that are likely to have an impact in terms of the role the business sector has in corruption are analysed, namely the initiatives recently taken to reduce the so-called “costs of context” and administrative burden for companies with the purpose of facilitating the creation and operation of businesses and to mitigate the phenomenon of corporate political connections. Although business sector engagement in the fight against corruption is increasing, that tougher stance has neither been homogeneous across the whole business sector nor consistent with regard to the various forms of abuse of office. The main conclusion is that there is still a lot to be done by Portuguese firms.