The term corruption covers a range of offences in which a position of trust is abused in order to obtain a material or immaterial advantage to which there is no legally founded entitlement.
Bribery of Public Officials (Art. 235 of the Criminal Code)
A public official who demands, accepts, or lets themselves be promised an unlawful advantage for themselves or a third party, in return for an official act – whether future or already performed – is guilty of passive bribery.
Sentencing range: imprisonment and a fine; where the offender acts on a commercial basis, at least three years’ imprisonment. Where the official act is contrary to the official’s duties, the penalty increases to penal servitude of up to ten years plus a fine; where committed on a commercial basis, penal servitude plus a fine of up to 1,000 daily units. The provision applies equally to officials of the European Union, international organisations, and foreign states.
Bribery of Public Officials (Art. 236 of the Criminal Code)
A person who offers, promises, or grants a public official an advantage for an act contrary to their official duties is guilty of active bribery. In the course of the 2019 criminal law reform, the legislature significantly softened the penalty for the basic form of active bribery: it is now generally punished only as a misdemeanour with imprisonment of up to three years or a fine; for the aggravated form – bribery “for the purpose of an unlawful act” – imprisonment of at least three years and a fine applies.
Bribery and Corruptibility in the Private Sector (Art. 396 of the Criminal Code)
Since the 2019 criminal law reform, bribery and corruptibility in the private sector – previously governed by a separate law (3560/2007) – have been consolidated in Art. 396 of the Criminal Code. This covers anyone who, in the course of trade and for competitive purposes, offers, promises, grants, demands, or accepts an advantage for an employee or agent of a business, in return for that person unfairly favouring another in the procurement of goods or services.
Frequent motives for bribing employees include avoiding tax, health, or building-law objections, and preventing inspections in order to conceal other offences (e.g. smuggling or illegal immigration). In practice, corruptibility is frequently found among tax, customs and police officials, for example in connection with investigations not being carried out, violations not being recorded, or fines not being imposed.
FAQ
The term corruption covers a range of offences in which a position of trust in a role within administration, the judiciary, business, politics, or even in non-commercial associations or organisations (e.g. foundations) is abused in order to obtain a material or immaterial advantage to which there is no legally founded entitlement.
Bribery of public officials (Art. 236 of the Criminal Code) is committed by anyone who offers, promises, or grants a public official, or a person specially obligated to public service, an advantage for that person or a third party, as consideration for having carried out, or agreeing in future to carry out, an official act, thereby violating or intending to violate their official duties.
The law provides for graduated sentencing ranges depending on the amount of the advantage obtained or the damage caused – from imprisonment up to lengthy penal servitude for advantages or damages in the six-figure range, or for acts against the state or legal entities governed by public law. As these sentencing ranges have been repeatedly adjusted since the 2019 code reform, we recommend checking the currently applicable version of the law for the individual case.
Yes. Since its introduction by Law 3560/2007 – today governed by Art. 396(2) of the Criminal Code – bribery in the private sector is also punishable. This applies where a person, in the course of trade and for competitive purposes, offers, promises, or grants an employee or agent of a business an advantage for that person or a third party, as consideration for that person unfairly favouring them or another in the procurement of goods or commercial services. The current sentencing range provides for imprisonment of at least one year plus a fine.
Common reasons include avoiding the detection of tax, health, and urban-planning violations, which carry substantial fines and penalties, and forgoing an inspection in order to avoid the arrest of the offender for other offences (e.g. failing to carry out customs checks so that smuggling or illegal immigration is not detected).
Corruptibility in public office (Art. 235 of the Criminal Code) exists where a public official, judge, or a person specially obligated to public service demands, lets themselves be promised, or accepts an advantage for themselves or a third party, as consideration for having carried out, or agreeing in future to carry out, an official act, thereby violating their official duties.
Here too, the law provides for graduated, in some cases very severe, sentencing ranges, particularly for tax and customs officials and in cases of high advantages or damages against the state. For the specific sentencing ranges currently applicable, we recommend checking the respective current version of the law.
Yes. Corruptibility in the private sector is today likewise governed by Art. 396(1) of the Criminal Code: the offence is fulfilled where an employee or agent of a business, in the course of trade, demands, lets themselves be promised, or accepts an advantage for themselves or a third party, as consideration for unfairly favouring another in competition in the procurement of goods or commercial services.
In practice, corruptibility of tax, customs and police officials frequently occurs in relation to the omission of an investigation, the non-detection of a violation, the non-imposition of fines, or refraining from filing a criminal complaint, but also the demand of advantages by a hospital doctor for carrying out an examination or operation, or for issuing a (often false) medical certificate.
As of June 2026. All information on these pages is provided without guarantee or liability.