Corruption in forestry sector costs 29 bln USD a year: Interpol

Corruption in the forestry sector has led to an annual loss of 29 billion U.S. dollars globally each year, Interpol announced on Friday.

In its "Uncovering the Risks of Corruption in the Forestry Sector" report, the International Criminal Police Organization(Interpol), an organization promoting international police cooperation headquartered in France, urged more cooperation to protect forests.

According to the Interpol report, "bribery is reported as the most common form of corruption in the forestry sector." Criminal networks use corruption and bribe officials to establish "safe passage" for the illegal movement of timber, it said.

"An international, coordinated response is an essential part of the solution to combat the organized transnational criminal groups involved in forestry crime. Our collective goal must be to turn corruption into a high risk, low profit activity," said Jurgen Stock, Interpol Secretary General.

With the aim, the Interpol recommended capacity building across the entire law enforcement chain, enhancing financial investigation techniques and adopting its global communications network for anti-corruption investigators.

In 2012, Interpol launched Project Leaf to counter crimes in the forestry sector, including illegal logging and timber trafficking, and related crimes such as corruption. Endit