Bribery
A Bill to reform the law of bribery could be introduced in the next Parliamentary session, justice secretary Jack Straw has said in his first speech as UK Anti-Corruption Champion.
Addressing the 5th European Forum on Anti-Corruption in London last week, Straw said the government’s “particular focs at present is bribery” as the current law is “difficult to understand for the public and difficult to apply for prosecutors and the courts”.
A Bribery Bill based on the Law Commission’s proposals last November, and tackling those who offer or accept bribes in the business or public sectors, could be brought forward in the next Parliamentary session, he said.
The Serious Fraud Office is currently producing a code of conduct on how businesses will be treated if they voluntarily disclose corruption offences, to encourage “clarity and predictability” for businesses wishing to come clean and change their behaviour.
Straw said: “While corruption today is a global phenomenon—transcending borders, regimes and jurisdictions, and affecting all sections of society—its impact is most acutely felt amongst the poorest of the developing world.
“Corrupt practices undercut honest companies, destroy professional reputations, distort competition and undermine the very basis of the free-market system.
“There is clearly both a moral and a practical imperative for tackling corruption–whether it occurs at home or abroad.
