Created by the Transparency, Anti-Corruption and Economic Modernisation Act of 9 December 2016 (known as the Sapin II Act), the French Anti-Corruption Agency (AFA) is tasked with controlling the existence, quality and effectiveness of the programmes that private-sector entities deploy to prevent and detect breaches of integrity.
These programmes rest on three inseparable pillars: the commitment of senior management; risk mapping to raise awareness of the entity’s exposure to corruption risks; and the management of identified risks through effective measures and procedures.
To date, 129 controls and examinations have been initiated by the Director of the AFA, highlighting the strategic investment that fighting corruption represents for companies. The first edition of the “Rendez-vous de l’AFA”, held on 10 February 2025 on Controlling corporate anti-corruption programmes, Strategy and prospects, drew out the main lessons: (1) strong senior-management commitment remains the foremost guarantee of programme quality; (2) risk mapping must be tailored and regularly updated; (3) consistency between identified risks and management procedures is essential to their effectiveness.