UNA-UK Chair Lord Hannay of Chiswick has written to UK Justice Secretary Ken Clarke to urge the government to ensure the Bribery Act enters into force promptly and without modification.
The Act updates Britain's outdated anti-corruption laws and brings the UK in line with its international treaty obligations, notably the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) convention. It was widely praised by campaigners such as Transparency International but has recently attracted criticism from certain businesses who claim it could hamper their ability to provide corporate hospitality. They are seeking it review of the legislation, which is due to enter into force in April.
Jeremy Carver, Transparency International UK board member, says there is no need for a review: ""this is the most reviewed and considered piece of legislation we have had for a generation. It has been through six different consultations. If you start watering down a bill that has already had this much compromise, it starts becoming totally meaningless.”
At present, the UK prosecutes far fewer companies than other countries: it had 10 cases in 2009 compared to 117 in Germany and 168 in the US. In December 2010, a high-profile case involving BAE Systems exposed the inadequacies of existing legislation. In a deal with the Serious Fraud Office, the British company, which is Europe's biggest defence and aerospace manufacturer, admitted a minor accounting offence in return for a major corruption investigation being dropped.
In his letter, Lord Hannay reiterated the critical need for rich countries to enforce laws to combat practices that encourage corruption in developing countries, noting that according to OECD reviews, the UK lags behind many other rich nations in introducing and enforcing anti-bribery laws.
