Company Law Update

White-Collar Crime

The Criminal Justice (Corruption Offences) Act 2018 has been enacted. The Act is one aspect of the intended reform of the law relating to corruption and corporate crime in Ireland. A number of significant changes have been made by the Act:

• A new offence called "trading in influence" has been created by the Act, which expands the categories of people to whom a gift or advantage may not be corruptly offered or given in order to improperly influence the actions of an official. It is no defence to show that the alleged ability to influence an official was not in fact exerted or did not lead to the intended result.
• A new offence called "intimidation" has been created by the Act, which makes it an offence to directly or indirectly threaten harm to a person with the intention of corruptly influencing a person to do an act in relation to his or her office, employment or business.