The Bribery Act will come into force on 1st July 2011.The Bribery Act will:
Introduce a corporate offence of failure to prevent bribery by persons working on behalf of a business. A business can avoid conviction if it can show that it has adequate procedures in place to prevent bribery.
Make it a criminal offence to give, promise or offer a bribe and to request, agree to receive or accept a bribe either at home or abroad. The measures cover bribery of a foreign public official.
Increase the maximum penalty for bribery from seven to 10 years imprisonment, with an unlimited fine.
There are some cocerns that UK businesses operating abroad will be put at a disadvantage in countries where bribery is a way of life. A Quick guide is here:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/docs/bribery-act-2010-quick-start-guide.pdf
