The Bribery Act: The Prosecutions Begin!

The Crown Prosecution Service has commenced its first prosecution under the Bribery Act 2010, which came into force on 1 July this year. Munir Yakub Patel, an administrative clerk at Redbridge Magistrates' Court, Ilford, London, is facing a charge in relation to allegations that he committed a bribery offence during the course of his employment.

Mr Patel is alleged to have accepted a payment of £500 on 1 August 2011 in exchange for using his position of employment to influence criminal proceedings for a motoring offence. He will be prosecuted under section 2 of the Act, which prohibits an individual from requesting and receiving a bribe in order to improperly perform their functions. The case will commence at Southwark Crown Court on 14 October 2011.