Scotland’s top prosecutors make the case for strong anti-corruption measures

The Deputy Crown Agent, Lindsey Miller, will be joined by Laura Buchan, the Procurator Fiscal Depute for Specialist Casework, at a briefing for north east businesses on Thursday on how they can take precautions to avoid falling foul of bribery and corruption legislation.

The seminar at legal firm Pinsent Masons’ Aberdeen headquarters will also feature Subsea 7 Group Head of Compliance, Andrew Hayward, and Pinsent Masons corporate crime specialists Tom Stocker and Willie Park.

The Crown Office representative will highlight a self-reporting initiative in which companies which discover potential bribery issues may be eligible for an out-of-court financial settlement instead of a criminal prosecution.

Pinsent Masons partner Tom Stocker said: “Since corporates were first given the opportunity to self-report bribery issues directly to the Scottish prosecutor with the aim of securing a non-criminal resolution, five companies - including three Aberdeen headquartered companies - have self-reported and agreed settlements which netted the public purse £8.3 million.

“The UK’s Attorney General recently announced a consultation on new laws to crack down on corporate crime, and in parallel with a bribery enforcement crackdown, the bar that companies are expected to reach in managing bribery risk is set to rise.”

Subsea 7’s Andrew Hayward will speak about a new international anti-bribery standard that looks set to become a global benchmark and its anticipated that companies which export from the UK will be expected to be certified to the standard.

Mr Stocker added: “The proposed international standard is double edged. On the one hand, it provides a checklist of actions for companies to take, to put in place effective anti-bribery management systems. On the other hand, it provides prosecutors with a route map for prosecuting companies that fail to do so.”