Bribery Act 2010 in force from today

The Bribery Act 2010 comes into force today, introducing a corporate offence for organisations that fail to prevent bribery by people working on behalf of the business.

Under the Act, employers will be able to defend themselves against the offence if they can show that they had “adequate procedures” in place to prevent bribery by or of people associated with their organisation. These include measures such as risk assessments and communication to staff of bribery prevention policies and procedures. The Act also introduces a separate offence for bribing a foreign public official with the intention of obtaining or retaining business or a business advantage.