How the UK Bribery Act May Be Extended

The UK Bribery Act has been law for more than three years now, but no corporate prosecutions of any significance have occurred in that time. Faegre Baker Daniels partner Melanie Wadsworth, who has considerable expertise in advising overseas clients, authored an article appearing in growthbusiness.co.uk on the Act and the prospect of extending it. Wadsworth stressed that although no major prosecutions have occurred, the Act has had an impact on businesses operating in the UK as major companies have gone to great lengths to review and strengthen anti-corruption policies and procedures.

After three years of what some would call a tepid law, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has asserted that with numerous investigations in progress, the full effects of the Act have yet to be achieved. The director of the SFO is pressing to extend Section 7 of the Act, which holds a commercial organization liable if a person associated with it bribes a third party for special treatment for the organization.