Bribery and Corruption

Today at the Old Bailey, the solicitor William Osmond was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months, for tipping off his client about an SFO money laundering investigation and issuing investigators with a forged document. Osmond was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £5000 toward the SFO’s costs.

https://www.sfo.gov.uk/2023/11/30/sfo-secures-nine-month-sentence-for-solicitor-who-tipped-off-client-about-criminal-investigation/

Businesses that breach UK sanctions imposed on Russia should notify the authorities if they wish to be eligible for lenient treatment, an expert in sanctions compliance has said.

https://www.pinsentmasons.com/en-gb/out-law/news/uk-russian-sanctions-breaches

A review by a senior lawyer into the procurement of the delayed Ferguson Marine ferries found no evidence of fraud, though parts of the process were “not entirely satisfactory”.

It comes after a BBC Disclosure documentary last year alleged the process for awarding the contract may have been rigged in favour of the Port Glasgow shipyard.

The Bribery Act 2010 (the Act) came into force in April 2011, overhauling UK anti-bribery legislation.

The Act set out the five key UK bribery offences and introduced strict liability for commercial organisations whose service providers (called ‘associated persons’) engage in bribery unless the organisation has adequate procedures in place to prevent it.

Organisations should ensure they have effective anti-bribery measures in place to mitigate their risk.

Lucrative contracts were allegedly handed out by NHS managers in return for cash and gifts across the country.

Five men are to stand trial following a £6.5m corruption and bribery probe into NHS Scotland contracts.

The group were held after investigations into the award of lucrative deals in health boards across the country to an Ayrshire telecommunications firm.

Mining companies must remain vigilant to corruption risks despite recent announcements by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), an expert in managing bribery and corruption risk has said.

https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/corruption-risks-in-mining-remain-despite-uk-probes-dropped

The chief of staff to the president of Madagascar has been charged with bribery over an alleged attempt to secure bribes worth about £225,000 from the British owner of the luxury gemstone company Fabergé.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/aug/14/madagascar-official-accused-of-trying-to-secure-bribe-from-faberge-owner?CMP=share_btn_tw

Recent charges brought by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) highlight the need for businesses to be alert to the risk of bribes being solicited to move their projects forward, an expert in managing corruption risk has said.

https://www.pinsentmasons.com/en-gb/out-law/news/bribery-arrests-bring-corruption-risks-faced-by-mining-firms-into-focus

Today at the High Court, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) successfully recovered a property worth £200,000 and over £8,000 in rental profits from Dr Guang Jiang, an agent who helped British technology company Sarclad Ltd to pay bribes to secure business in China.

https://www.sfo.gov.uk/2023/07/14/sfo-seizes-sheffield-flat-linked-to-17-million-bribery-in-china/

The Competition and Markets Authority have hit City with a fine after the club and retailer JD Sports admitted to acting illegally in deals conducted between 2018 and 2021.

Leicester City are to be fined up to £880,000 for breaching competition law as part of a deal they conducted with JD Sports.

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leicester-city-hit-880k-fine-8576487