The General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Corruption) Bill
2012 (the "Draft Scheme") was approved by the Irish
Government on June 19, 2012. The measures set out in the Draft
Scheme, along with the Criminal Justice Act 2011,
represent part of the Government's focus on attacking and
preventing white collar crime. The existing law on corruption, the
Prevention of Corruption Acts 1889 - 2010, comprises
several different Acts, and includes statutes dating back to the
late nineteenth century. The general provision of the Draft Scheme
is to replace the Prevention of Corruption Acts 1889 -
2010 with a single statute in an effort to modernise and
clarify Irish law on bribery and corruption. The new legislation
will seek to update the existing offences in relation to bribery,
add new related offences, and implement some of the recommendations
of the Mahon Tribunal1 report into planning matters and
payments to politicians. The Courts will also be given
wider-ranging powers to
