The UK Bribery Act comes into force on 1 July 2011. Directors and other senior officers can be found guilty of individual criminal offences, if acts of bribery have been committed with their consent or connivance. The individual offences carry a sentence of up to ten years' imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.
The Act also creates a corporate offence of 'failing to prevent bribery'. The business itself can be liable for an unlimited fine, and can be debarred from tendering for public contracts, if an employee or agent of the business offers, gives, or receives a bribe for the benefit of the business. The only defence available to the business in such circumstances is that it has implemented 'adequate procedures' to prevent bribery within the organisation.
Rickerbys offers an "Anti-Bribery Healthcheck" for your business for a fixed price of £499 + VAT. This includes a one-hour consultation about procedures which you may need to adopt in order to guard against bribery within your organisation, provision of an anti-bribery policy, a 'toolkit' of measures to consider, and a template risk assessment for you to carry out. For further details please contact Matthew Clayton.
Direct Dial: 01242 246497
Email: matthew.clayton@rickerbys.com
