Anti-bribery laws given July implementation date


Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has today confirmed that the new anti-bribery legislation, the Bribery Act, will come into force on 1st July. The bill was originally intended to be implemented on 1st April but that date was scrapped after a call from the business community for clarification on the new laws and for more time to ensure compliance.

New guidelines were issued today, which include clarification that a business will be held liable if a senior person within the firm commits a bribery offence, that payment by a third party in the UK or overseas with a view to gain business is an offence, and that corporate hospitality will not be viewed as an offence.

Mr Clarke tried to ease concerns of businesses in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK about the consequences of the legislation and the cost of compliance, saying:

"Without changing the substance of the Act, this guidance should save organisations of all sizes from the fears sometimes aroused by the compliance industry that millions of pounds must be spent on new systems that, in my opinion, no honest business will require in response to the commencement of this Act.

"Some have asked whether business can afford this legislation - especially at a time of economic recovery. But the choice is a false one. We don't have to decide between tackling corruption and supporting growth. Addressing bribery is good for business because it creates the conditions for free markets to flourish."

The government has described the legislation as confirming the UK's position as a global leader in the fight against business corruption. There are two general offences of bribery contained in the legislation, which deal with the person offering, promising or giving a bribe, and the intended recipient who agrees to receive or accept the bribe. Initial response to the new guidance has been of general approval, and that the government has acted to ease concerns and soften the extreme scenarios that could have emerged on the basis of the initial wording of the legislation.


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