Kickback

New draft legislation, additional law enforcement resource, even a prosecution or two – will the OECD, let alone the US, be satisfied with the UK’s tougher stance on bribery? Neill Blundell of Eversheds considers.

Neill Blundell is Head of Financial Crime at Eversheds LLP. He many be contacted on tel: 0845 497 4533, international: +44 20 7919 4533; email: neillblundell@eversheds.com

The Law Commission recently published its recommendations for changes to bribery laws in the UK. It proposes replacing the current patchwork of legislation with two general offences of bribery – one for the giving of bribes and another for taking them. It will for the first time remove the distinction between the public and private sectors, and make corporate bodies responsible for negligently failing to prevent bribery by an employee or agent.