On 6 September the Law Commission published its final report and recommendations on reforms to the Arbitration Act 1996. The full report is available here.
Read highlights of the key changes on the International Arbitration Blog.
Bribery begins at Home
Two recent anti-corruption enforcement actions in the U.K. are a reminder of how readily the UK’s anti-corruption laws can apply to people who are not ordinarily based here.
On 10 August, the National Crime Agency arrested the Chief of Staff of the President of Madagascar along with another man who is a French national. The next day they were charged with requesting a bribe contrary to the Bribery Act 2010 and made their first appearance in court on 12 August. They are due to appear again on 8 September. The offences are alleged to have taken place at a meeting in London where the two are alleged to have sought significant cash payments as well as an equity stake in a mining project in Madagascar in return for the award of licences.
New Legislation will make it easier to prosecute Foreign and Domestic Companies for financial crimes in the UK
Duane Morris is tracking the passage of the Economic Crime and Transparency Bill 2023 through the British Parliament. Amongst other changes, once it is enacted in the coming months it will introduce major changes to corporate criminal liability in the UK, making it much easier for prosecutors to successfully convict corporates of financial crime.
For more detail see our recent client alert: https://www.duanemorris.com/alerts/uk_making_it_easier_prosecute_foreign_domestic_companies_financial_crimes_0823.html