Sentences for corruption and bribery can be very severe, with individuals at risk of a fine and up to 10 years in prison. If you are under suspicion, have been arrested or have been charged with bribery or corruption, it is important to contact lawyers with the necessary skills and experience to advise and defend you.
The law enforcement agency most often involved in investigating this type of offence is the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The SFO has made it very clear that it will spend as much time, manpower and effort as possible into investigating these types of crime, making it more important than ever to have real experts on your side.
Bribery Act 2010
The Bribery Act 2010 affects all individuals in the UK, all UK businesses and all non-UK businesses that conduct any of their business in the UK. Under this Act there are four criminal offences:
- Bribing another person
- Asking for a bribe or taking a bribe
- Bribing a foreign public official
- Failing to stop a person associated with a business bribing another person to benefit that business
If a senior person in a business knows about any of the first three offences happening in their company, they can be found guilty of an offence under the Bribery Act 2010. Any company can be found guilty under number 4, above, if any of its employees, subsidiaries, agents or joint-venture partners commit an offence under this Act.
The Act is far-reaching and is likely to affect a lot of individuals and companies. If you have been affected, you should contact us as soon as possible to discuss your options.
How Irwin Mitchell Can Help With Corruption & Bribery Cases
If you or your company are being investigated or charged with an offence relating to corruption or bribery it is very important that you get expert advice immediately. We have considerable experience in defending clients in this area of law and have a dedicated, expert team of solicitors specially trained and knowledgeable in bribery and corruption cases. Our current cases include an SFO investigation involving BAE and Mabey & Johnson, and we previously worked on the ‘Jubilee Line’ case involving charges of bribery of London Transport officials.
We will be able to tell you what exactly the case against you is likely to be, and we can advise you of any available defences. We would also be able to advise you about whether or not you should self-report, either before or during an investigation, which could lead to a better outcome for you.
We have the expertise and skills to help you through this difficult time and we will do everything we can to reduce the impact that any investigations or prosecutions will have on you, your business and your loved ones. We will give you clear advice in plain English and will answer all of your questions honestly. Above all, we will fight your corner with dedication and commitment.
When you contact us, we will gather together all the information we need to protect your position and then give you the best advice possible on how to defend your case and handle the investigation.
We have a track record of halting investigations and prosecutions for our clients and our reputation as thorough, tough and resolute criminal defence litigators is well known. As well as defending you in an investigation and prosecution, we can also protect you and your reputation in the media if your case is high profile.
Funding Your Case
We act on a privately paying basis, often through insurance policies and sometimes through legal aid.
We have a great deal of experience in bribery and corruption investigations and so we have excellent computer software to help us to go through the evidence quickly and effectively. This helps us to keep your costs as low as possible. Above all, we will make sure that you get real value for your money.
The cost of your case will depend on lots of things including how long the investigation lasts and what the issues are and we will usually need to spend time looking through all of the paperwork before we can give you firm advice.
We will always discuss with you the likely costs of your case and will tell you if the cost is likely to be more or less than expected, giving you updates throughout the process.
Call Today for a No-Obligation Discussion
If you are being investigated or have been arrested, are on police bail or have been charged, or you believe that you may be at risk of any of these, then please contact our team as soon as possible.
For an initial discussion, with no obligation, call Sarah Wallace on 020 7421 3876 or Paul Haycock on 0114 274 4275 or contact us online and we will get back to you.