Government strives to clarify bribery law

Bribery crimes in the UK presently comprise offences under common law and the Prevention of Corruption Acts 1889-1916 . The law is, says the December 2005 Home Office consultation paper on reform (www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/2 005-cons-bribery), “fragmented and out of date”. The government has already extended the ambit of the existing offences to activity overseas in the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 . It says that its aim “always was to change attitudes and behaviour, not fill the courts.” It has certainly succeeded in the latter – there have been no prosecutions using the 2001 Act powers - and, in response to widespread criticism, now proposes to empower the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to take on such cases.