AMSTERDAM, 11/10/06 - The Dutch business world has in the past four years suffered to an increasing degree from bribery in the allocation of contracts, research by consultancy bureau Control Risk and law firm Simmons & Simmons reveals.

The study, published yesterday, was conducted among 350 international companies from seven different countries. From the reactions of Dutch companies, it emerges that 46 percent have sometimes lost contracts because a competitor paid bribes. Four years ago, the figure was 40 percent; worldwide, it is 43 percent.

Dutch companies do show above-average preparedness to do something about corruption. Nearly one in five goes to the authorities in case of bribery. In France, only one in 10 of those victimised do so.

Companies in the Netherlands are also most inclined to halt a commercial relationship due to possible corruption, according to the study. Worldwide, some 40 percent would try not to work in partnership with clients who have taken bribes from competitors.

The study was carried out among companies in the Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK, the US, Brazil and Hong Kong. Corruption appears worst in Hong Kong; over three-quarters of the companies there lost contracts due to bribery in the past four years.