On the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day, which is marked on 9 December, namely the anniversary of the adoption of the UN Anti-Corruption Convention, that has so far been signed by 113 countries, including Croatia Skare Ozbolt said that the justice ministry had earlier in the day sent the document into parliamentary procedure for ratification.
Ten countries have ratified the UN convention to date, and it should be ratified by 30 countries before it can go into force.
She said that Croatia had made considerable progress in adjusting national anti-corruption laws to international standards, and that the perception of the public on the incidence of corruption in Croatia was in disproportion with the actual state of affairs regarding the detection and processing of criminal acts of corruption.
In 2003, the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime dealt with 138 corruption charges and convicted 45 persons of organised crime, she added.