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ARTICLE · 10 DECEMBER 2014

Financial Crime - Bribery Act

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A speech has been published by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) whereby Stuart Alford QC, SFO Joint Head of Fraud, spoke on enforcement of the Bribery Act 2010.

United KingdomCriminal Law
Harvey Knight
Harvey Knight
Kirsten Lapham
Kirsten Lapham
Colin Smith
Colin Smith
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Bribery Act still a key focus of the SFO

A speech has been published by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) whereby Stuart Alford QC, SFO Joint Head of Fraud, spoke on enforcement of the Bribery Act 2010.

Mr Alford addressed the question, we are frequently asked by our clients, as to why there have been no prosecutions under the Bribery Act and whether the SFO is taking the Act seriously.

The Bribery Act, Mr Alford explains, is not retrospective. Therefore, for conduct to be criminal, it must have been undertaken after 1 July 2011 and such conduct usually takes time to surface. In addition, SFO cases are, by definition, serious or complex and very often include international parties and conduct. As a result, these types of cases will take some time to move through the process of investigation and on to prosecution. Firms and individuals should therefore note that while no significant cases have yet been bought, the SFO are working on a number of investigations and

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