Clifford Chance

Is the paper tiger sharpening its teeth

21 October 2014

The SFO, the agency principally responsible for prosecuting cases under the UK Bribery Act 2010 (UKBA), has received its fair share of criticism for being perceived to lack the prosecutorial zeal displayed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in relation to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Developments in 2014 may indicate that this is about to change, however.

The SFO is building a portfolio of high-profile international bribery cases, some of which will involve British connected corporations operating in the Asia Pacific and China region. This briefing discusses the pending investigations, demonstrating that it would be a mistake for companies to assume the UKBA is a paper tiger, and in doing so, allow their compliance vigilance to relax.

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