Imagine: you are at your desk in your air conditioned office located somewhere in the Middle East and you get a knock on the door from the authorities. You have two days to produce documentary evidence of your organisation's comprehensive anti-corruption policies and procedures.

You were confident the Bribery Act didn't apply to your organisation's Middle East operations. You didn't think your organisation faced any bribery risks. You thought your organisation's existing policies and procedures were sufficient. You assumed head office had this all under control. You were wrong.

  • The UK Bribery Act applies to commercial organisations wherever in the world they are based. The UK authorities will actively prosecute overseas bribery, perpetrated by non-UK commercial organisations. Are you certain it doesn't apply to your organisation?
  • The UK Bribery Act applies to UK individuals in relation to activities taking place anywhere in the world. Can you afford to have your organisation's name associated with bribery that you had no knowledge of?
  • Commercial organisations will face unlimited fines. Will you risk a fine in the tens or hundreds of millions of pounds?
  • Individuals face 10 years in prison. Directors and officers will be prosecuted.

You may think you know the law, but are you confident that you know the practical steps your organisation needs to take to ensure it does not fall foul of the law?

Clyde & Co's dedicated regulatory compliance team consists of business and regulatory compliance professionals and lawyers with years of experience of the practical application of anti-corruption regulation and compliance in the Middle East.

For a fixed price, dependent on your business, Clyde & Co can:

  • Assist you with a comprehensive bribery risk assessment for your organisation;
  • Review your organisation's existing policies and procedures in relation to anti-corruption;
  • Design and implement comprehensive anti-corruption policies and procedures that are proportionate to the size, nature and scope of your business.
  • Review the terms of existing contracts and agreements with third party agents and sponsors in the Middle East, and provide guidance on how to carry out due diligence in relation to third party agents, sponsors and those who provide services for your organisation going forward;
  • Provide regular in-depth anti-corruption training for your directors, officers, executives, staff and business partners;
  • Provide your organisation with ongoing support to ensure it's anti-corruption policies and procedures are periodically monitored and reviewed; and
  • Help you ensure that, should the Serious Fraud Office or a local law enforcement or regulatory agency knock on your door, you can provide clear, unequivocal evidence that your organisation has a top to bottom anti-corruption culture.

We at Clyde & Co know the law. We at Clyde & Co know practical compliance. We at Clyde & Co know the practical steps your organisation needs to take. We at Clyde & Co are a full services regulatory compliance firm. We at Clyde & Co can help you.

The Bribery Act comes into force on 1 July 2011. Now is the time to act.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.