OUR GLOBAL MOVEMENT
The UK is a safe haven for corrupt and criminal wealth. The list of exposés detailing the investments and indulgences of a global cadre of corrupt individuals in or through our economy has become too large to ignore. Yet it is very difficult to bring a successful prosecution against large companies for serious economic crime in the UK, due to the difficulties in establishing corporate criminal liability. Prosecutions are rare and slow to progress. A change to legislation to more effectively deter corporate crime is long overdue.
Join our Business Integrity team and legal experts from Ropes & Gray LLP between 3pm and 4pm BST on Thursday, September 3 for a webinar on corruption during – and after – times of crisis.
Rory Donaldson, our Business Integrity manager, and partners from Ropes & Gray’s anti-corruption/international risk and government enforcement/white-collar groups will discuss relevant governing legislation and enforcement trends, with a focus on the US and UK.
The panel will also explore key risk areas arising for businesses during times of crisis as well as best practices to mitigate such risks.
Transparency International UK and Spotlight on Corruption have written to Attorney General Geoffrey Cox urging him explain the reason for an 18-month delay to a major corruption investigation into Airbus subsidiary GPT Special Project Management.
Does your organisation operate in developing countries? Have you or your staff encountered bribery demands in the course of your work? How do you counter them? What more can you do to ensure you don't contribute to corruption in the counties you operate in?
On Thursday 27 April, Natasha Clayton, trustee of Transparency International UK, will chair a panel discussion on the corruption risks in international development. Come take part in the discussion, and learn more about TI-UK's Doing Good without Bribery e-learning course, designed to help staff counter bribery demands in their operations, and updated this year with new scenarios.
The panel will consist of:
Programme:
To reserve your place please click on the REGISTER button.
Any further queries, please contact [email protected].
“Spring Cleaning” a new report from Transparency International UK (TI-UK) analyses the role of the UK in providing a safe haven for corrupt wealth from Middle Eastern rulers. In Syria Egypt and Libya, amongst others, corruption played a major role in igniting the “Arab Spring”, with mass protests decrying the misuse of power by political establishments.
It took the UK over 5 weeks to move against assets linked to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his close associates; UK law enforcement authorities having historically been hampered by a system which is over-reliant on cooperation from the state of origin to recover stolen assets.
Unexplained Wealth Orders, a key provision of the Criminal Finances Bill, currently before the House of Commons, would mark a major step towards empowering UK law enforcement to freeze, seize and return wealth stolen from those countries.
The United Kingdom has legislated against corruption in various forms since the late 19th Century, this itself drawing on a longer tradition in British law. The Bribery Act 2010 is a recentand landmark addition to the legislative environment in the UK for corruption.
However, the Bribery Act does not address all forms of corrupt behaviour. Laws against money laundering, fraud and theft may be applied to detect, deter and recover the proceeds of corruption. In addition, legislation covers other types of corrupt behaviour both in public office and the private sector.
The purpose of this paper is to inform all interested parties both domestically and overseas about the breadth of UK legislation which may have some application to countering bribery, corruption and related offenses like money laundering. It is a non-lawyers’ guide, and is therefore not a substitute for a detailed review of the legislation, but it is intended to be an easy entry point to stimulate further enquiry.
