Employers in the dark about the scope of new anti-bribery legislation

Despite the risk of substantial fines and corporate directors ending up in jail, most UK employers are in the dark about the scope of new anti-bribery legislation, which is due to come into force later this year.

According to a survey undertaken by law firm Eversheds among 694 managers and directors working in companies of all sizes, a huge 60% were unaware that failing to prevent bribery by employees or agents acting on behalf of the company would soon become a corporate criminal offence and could lead to substantial fines.

One in three were also ignorant of the fact that company directors could be found liable and face prosecution, while nine out of 10 did not know that the maximum jail sentence was 10 years.

Neill Blundell, the head of Eversheds’ fraud group, said: "Our survey found a real lack of awareness, understanding and training in relation to the Bribery Bill, and that many businesses aren’t set up to minimise their exposure to corrupt business practices."