Following news that UK anti-bribery legislation may be relaxed, legal experts are warning that the UK government may risk sending the wrong message to businesses.
"The Bribery Act was unusual in that it was accompanied by statutory guidance on its interpretation. The legislation was always about the ability of business to operate profitably, but ethically by Western standards, in the global market place,” Mark Surguy, partner at global law firm Eversheds.
There were concerns before the legislation was passed that there would be an adverse impact on business. The economic difficulties in the UK are now so severe, it seems that standards may be relaxed to help smaller businesses.
“There was always a balance to be struck,” Surguy explains. “But that was intended to be achieved through broad drafting and prosecutorial discretion which seemed reasonable to most people. A relaxation is likely to send out the wrong message albeit for the right reason.”
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