The Bribery Act 2010

The much anticipated Bribery Act 2010 (the "Act") due to come into force in April of this year has recently suffered another delay to its implementation following Government confirmation that final guidance surrounding the Act is to be reviewed.

The Ministry of Justice which is reviewing the guidance has recently confirmed as follows: "When the guidance is published it will be followed by a three-month notice period before implementation of the Bribery Act". However, it is our advice that the delay of the implementation of the Act should not stop businesses taking steps now to prepare for the Act coming into force.

The current law regarding bribery is a mix of statutory and case law developed piecemeal over the past 100 years. It is intended that the Act will replace the current law with comprehensive and far reaching anti-bribery laws.