A court clerk from East London is the first person to be charged under the new anti-bribery legislation. Munir Yakub Patel, 21, is charged with contravening section 2 of the Bribery Act 2010 for "requesting and receiving a bribe intending to improperly perform his functions" while working at Redbridge Magistrates' Court in Ilford.

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A court clerk from East London is the first person to be charged under the new anti-bribery legislation. Munir Yakub Patel, 21, is charged with contravening section 2 of the Bribery Act 2010 for "requesting and receiving a bribe intending to improperly perform his functions" while working at Redbridge Magistrates' Court in Ilford.

The police were alerted after a man was allegedly filmed by The Sun promising an individual he would keep a traffic penalty off a legal database in exchange for £500. No prosecution has yet been brought under section 7 of the Act, which came into force on 1 July this year.

This section creates a new offence which can be committed by commercial organisations which fail to prevent persons associated with them from committing bribery on their behalf. Sanctions include unlimited fines and a permanent ban from tendering for government contracts across the European Union, whilst individuals could face up to ten years in prison.

Organisations which have adequate procedures in place to prevent persons associated with it from bribing will have a full defence.

CMS Cameron McKenna can provide comprehensive advice to ensure your organisation complies with the Act.

This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq

Law-Now information is for general purposes and guidance only. The information and opinions expressed in all Law-Now articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent developments.

The original publication date for this article was 07/09/2011.