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ARTICLE · 16 AUGUST 2013

UK Bribery Act Prosecutions

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The UK’s Serious Fraud Office ("SFO") has brought charges under the UK Bribery Act 2010 for the first time.

United KingdomCriminal Law
Stephen Pollard
Stephen Pollard
Kimberley Parker
Kimberley Parker
Roger Witten
Roger Witten
Jay Holtmeier
Jay Holtmeier
Erin Sloane
Erin Sloane
Alison Geary
Alison Geary
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The UK's Serious Fraud Office ("SFO") has brought charges under the UK Bribery Act 2010 for the first time. The charges have been brought against three individuals in connection with a £23m fraud at Sustainable AgroEnergy Plc. The charges relate to both the giving and receiving of a bribe (under ss. 1 and 2 Bribery Act 2010).

Given the fanfare with which the UK Bribery Act was introduced, we expect that some commentators will make much of these first charges by the SFO. However, the acts of giving and receiving a bribe were also prohibited under the statutes in force prior to the introduction of the Bribery Act and the Crown Prosecution Service (the agency responsible for prosecuting general offences investigated by the police) has already secured the conviction of three individuals under the Bribery Act 2010.

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