Companies and other corporate bodies operating in Ireland will risk criminal liability if they do not have adequate anti-corruption policies and procedures in place, once proposed anti-corruption legislation becomes law.

Can I bring my client to the All-Ireland Football Final to thank her for her business?

In this audio briefing, Joanelle O'Cleirigh, Partner in the Litigation, Dispute Resolution and Investigations Group, discusses how companies have seen a significant increase in the need for investigations in the Corporate Crime area.

The Minister for Justice and Equality recently published the draft scheme of the Criminal Justice (Corruption) Bill 2012, 123 years after the enactment of the statute that is the basis of our current law.

The Irish Minister for Justice and Equality, Mr Alan Shatter, today published the Draft Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Corruption) Bill 2012, 123 years after the enactment of the statute that is the basis of our current law – the Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act 1889

The Law Reform Commission ("LRC") published yesterday (23 October 2018) its report on "Regulatory Powers and Corporate Offences".

"The Criminal Justice Act 2011" ("the 2011 Act") came into effect on 9 August 2011. It introduces new procedures to facilitate Garda access to information and documentation that will assist in the investigation of white collar crime.

The General Scheme of the "Criminal Justice (Corruption) Bill 2012" was approved by the Irish Government on June 19, 2012.

The recently enacted Markets in Financial Instruments Act 2018, sets out maximum sanctions available for certain offences under the European Union Regulations 2017 where a person is convicted on indictment.

The Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Act 2018 came into force on 26 November 2018 (the "Amendment Act").

MAR requires Issuers to inform the public as soon as possible of inside information.

The ECA was introduced into the House of Commons on 1 March 2022 and received Royal Assent on 15 March 2022 in an attempt to improve transparency on ownership of property in the UK, which could previously be shrouded in layers of secrecy.

Section 286 of the Companies Act 2014 obliges company directors to take all reasonable steps to ensure the company complies with its obligation to keep adequate accounting records. Large-scale breaches which result in an accounting discrepancy exceeding €1 million or 10% of the company's net assets may result in a fine of up to €500,000 or 10 years' imprisonment, or both

Under Irish law, offences are divided between summary (minor) offences and indictable (serious) offences.

A key similarity between the Irish and UK legislative regimes is that both penalise bribery and corruption offences committed anywhere in the world.