Today TRACE, an anti-bribery organization, announced the launch of a new form of accreditation for anti-bribery specialists in corporations, law firms, accounting firms and elsewhere. Alexandra Wrage, TRACE's President, said that the Trace Anti-bribery Specialist Accreditation will be a "serious and meaningful" credential that will be a way for professionals to demonstrate their expertise and credibility in the anti-bribery field. Wrage said that the TASA credential is the first-ever available to anti-bribery compliance professionals.

To earn TASA accreditation, one must take 30 hours of course work, which will be primarily presented in the form of videos and webinars. Students must take certain core courses on topics such as books and records, jurisdiction, and international conventions, but can also customize their curriculum to emphasize a particular region (e.g., China), industry or professional focus. Students must also obtain a score of 85% or better on a final exam, which will be proctored via webcam. Once a person is accredited (which lasts for a period of one year), they must maintain their accreditation by taking 8 credit hours per year.

Wrage said that a tremendous faculty has stepped up to provide course materials. TASA's Senior Faculty Adviser is Dr. Mark Pieth, Professor of Criminal Law and Criminology at University of Basel and Chairman of the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions. Other faculty members include Mark F. Mendelsohn of law firm Paul, Weiss; Pascale Dubois of the World Bank Office of Evaluation and Suspension; Jason Matechak, General Counsel of the International Relief Fund; and dozens of others (see them all here).

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