As mentioned in the RCE Newsletter October 2011, the UK Bribery Act 2010 ("UKBA") entered into force on 1 July 2011 and reforms the criminal law to provide a new scheme of bribery offences. On 14 October 2011, a 22-year-old administrative UK court clerk was the first to be found guilty of breaching the UKBA and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. The clerk allegedly promised an individual that he could influence the course of criminal proceedings in exchange for GBP 500. According to the judge the indictment represented misconduct which lasted well over a year and involved at least 53 cases in which he earned probably over £ 20.000.
The maximum sentence for the offence is ten years' imprisonment. With this sentence, the UK court has taken a strong stance against corrupt activities of an individual employed in the UK justice system.
This conviction may encourage UK prosecutors to regard the UKBA as a useful tool in their fight against corruption. The length of the sentence imposed in this particular case also sends a clear message that public officials engaging in corrupt practices will be treated harshly by UK courts.
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