02 February 2012
Munir Patel who was the first person to be convicted of an offence under the Bribery Act 2010, had his sentence reduced by the Court of Appeal.
Mr Patel was given a six year prison sentence in November 2011. The Court of Appeal indicated that the sentence was excessive for an individual who had previously been of good character and who plead guilty and reduced his sentence to four years. Although this was the first conviction under the Bribery Act, the legislation has not really flexed its muscles yet in relation to bribery and corruption at a corporate level. However the SFO has indicated that it is actively investigating corporate bodies and it is likely that we will see a prosecution of this sort brought under the Bribery Act in the near future.
In Scotland, earlier this month, the Crown Office indicated a continuing commitment to developing specialists to tackle financial crime in its Civil Recovery Unit and the Serious and Organised Crime Division. The Scottish Government also announced funding of £2 million to fund financial investigators for the police and Crown Office.