CRI Group granted first ever anti-bribery management accreditation by DAC

LAHORE – The Corporate Research and Investigations LLC “CRI Group” has announced it has been granted accreditation by the Dubai Accreditation Department (DAC) for the scope of ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management System Conformity Assessment Body.

The accreditation is the first of its kind awarded to a certification body specialising in global anti-bribery and anti-corruption, risk and compliance standards.

Headquartered in Dubai, CRI Group is the foremost Conformity Assessment Body in ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management Systems Certification, providing expert lead auditor and internal auditor training through its highly regarded "Anti-Bribery Anti-Corruption Centre of Excellence."

The Group’s CEO, Amina Ahmed Mohammed said that DAC has launched an accreditation scheme for anti-bribery management in line with the Dubai government’s approach toward achieving the highest standards and transparency among public and private sector organisations.

The accreditation empowers CRI Certification to provide the highest level of audit services for multinational organizations seeking to bring their management systems into compliance with global standards (pursuant to the requirements of ISO 17021-1:2015) while conforming to the ever-evolving levels of standards dictated by multi-jurisdictional regions around the world.

"It is a special honor to be the very first accredited conformity assessment body in the Middle East, Asia and the UK," said Zafar I. Anjum, Group CEO of CRI Group, the parent company of Anti-Bribery Anti-Corruption Centre of Excellence. "This accreditation is a testament to the expertise of our global network of audit specialists and the result of 28 years providing high-level risk management and compliance solutions to organisations worldwide seeking to combat the detrimental effects of bribery and corruption."

The ISO 37001:2016 certification helps an organisation implement reasonable and proportionate measures designed to prevent bribery. These measures involve top-level leadership, training, risk assessment, due diligence, financial and commercial controls, reporting, audit and investigation.

While ISO 37001:2016 certification does not provide a safe harbor against regulatory enforcement, it is intended to be evidence that a certified company has taken meaningful steps toward effective compliance. Management systems compliance that is certified by an accredited third-party body can possibly help remove any criminal responsibility under certain juridical systems.

In Pakistan, KPOGCL is first company that secured this certification. Developing countries like Pakistan are facing serious challenges of bribery and corruption – the biggest hindrance toward their ultimate objectives of progress and development. This certification will help the Organization to improve their management system and bring them at par with International management standard of compliances to increase their credibility and win the trust of foreign investors.