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United Kingdom
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Senior official or officer meaning

What does Senior official or officer mean?
In practice, senior official or officer describes individuals at the top of an organisation whose decisions and knowledge can be attributed to the entity and who may incur personal liability. The term is often defined by statute for specific purposes. Under the bribery Act 2010 (UK), a senior officer of a body corporate includes a director, manager, secretary or other similar officer, and anyone purporting to act in such capacity; for partnerships (including Scottish partnerships) it means a partner (and anyone purporting to act as such). Limited liability partnerships are bodies corporate, so the term captures LLP members and comparable officers. Across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, usage is broadly consistent in statutes dealing with corporate criminal liability, regulatory compliance and attribution (for example, liability where an offence is committed with the consent or connivance of a senior officer). Irish legislation adopts similar wording in corruption and corporate liability provisions (e.g. director, manager, secretary or other officer, or a person purporting to act). The designation is context-specific. Always check the governing statute, regulations or rules to identify which roles are included for the relevant offence, duty, notification or enforcement power.
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View the related Practice Notes about Senior official or officer

PRACTICE NOTES
UK Bribery Act 2010: offences, corporate and senior officer liability, failure to prevent, extraterritorial reach, facilitation payments, penalties and the adequate procedures defence - practical guide for lawyers

The Bribery Act 2010 (BA 2010) Enacted to secure the UK’s adherence to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, the Bribery Act 2010 (BA 2010) delivers an effective framework to address corruption across public and private spheres, updating the UK’s anti-corruption regime and supplanting Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 and Prevention of Corruption Act 1916. BA 2010 carries significant consequences for any company incorporated in, or trading from, the UK. Its global reach covers bribery undertaken by a business, or by third parties acting for it, regardless of where in the world the conduct occurs...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Comprehensive glossary of UK restructuring and insolvency terms, covering Companies Act schemes, Part 26A plans, IA 1986 processes, and cross‑border concepts including COMI, UNCITRAL and assimilated EU rules.

This glossary sets out numerous expressions regularly encountered in the restructuring & insolvency sphere. Words shown in bold within definitions are themselves explained in other entries in this glossary as well. A Article X The MLIJ contains a single provision named Article X, aimed at jurisdictions that have already implemented the MLCBI, like England, or are weighing its adoption. Article X states: ‘Not withstanding any prior interpretation to the contrary, the relief available under [insert a cross-reference to the legislation of this State enacting Article 21 of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency] includes recognition and enforcement of a judgment’ (see Practice Note: UNCITRAL model law on recognition and enforcement of insolvency-related judgments (MLIJ): Article X). Asset-backed security (ABS) A form of security anchored by asset pools, for example loans, leases, and credit card receivables. Assimilated law From 1 January 2024, ‘retained law’ has been retitled ‘assimilated law’. The body of domestic law originally arising from EU obligations, created by the European...

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