Summary

The article deals with the Council of Europe Civil Law Convention on Corruption open for signature from 4 November 1999, which has also been signed although not yet ratified by Estonia.
The author examines the strategy of the Council of Europe for the fight against corruption and provides a historical overview of the preparation of the Convention. As in practice the number of court cases where persons would resort to civil law remedies to restore their rights violated by acts of corruption has been relatively small, the article outlines the legal and general impediments to the use of civil law remedies.
Further, the author analyses definitions used in the Convention, including that of corruption, and the principles of compensation for damage as provided by the Convention. Separately, the author deals with the right provided by the Convention to claim declaration of a contract providing for corruption void. Of other provisions of the Convention, the author examines the principles of limitation, issues concerning employment law and the measures for accounts and audits in using civil law remedies.