Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Bribery definition

What does Bribery mean? Bribery describes the offering, promising, giving, requesting, agreeing to receive or accepting a financial or other advantage to induce or reward the improper performance of a function or to influence a person in a position of trust. In England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, bribery is principally governed by the Bribery Act 2010, which consolidated and reformed the law. It creates offences of active and passive bribery (sections 1–2), bribery of a foreign public official (section 6), and the corporate offence of failure to prevent bribery by associated persons (section 7), with a statutory defence of having adequate procedures....

UK pre-Bribery Act 2010 bribery and corruption: prosecuting and defending, charging choices, conspiracy, corporate liability and managing historic exposure [Archived]

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Practice notes

ARCHIVED:

This archived PrACTice Note offers a practical guide to running and resisting investigations and prosecutions under the UK’s former Corruption framework that applied before the Bribery Act 2010 (BA 2010) commenced (the pre‑BA 2010 regime). It addresses:

how to frame charges for common Law bribery (ie under the relevant statutes), including charge selection for conduct straddling both regimes
case law defining a public body
the need for a corrupt intent
the presumption of corruption and associated human rights ramifications
the requirements of secrecy and corruption, and what companies can do to minimise historic exposure to prosecution

This Practice Note also considers:

the offence of bribery at common law
the Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act 1889 (PBCPA 1889)
the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 (PCA 1906), and
the Prevention of Corruption Act 1916 (PCA 1916)

For details on the operative legal provisions, ongoing liability, territorial reach, and penalties and sentencing under the pre‑BA 2010 regime, see Practice Note: Corruption and common law bribery—pre‑Bribery Act 2010 [Archived]...

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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