The Bribery Act 2010 introduced a new corporate offence of failure to prevent bribery. Companies can defend themselves against the allegation that they failed to prevent bribery by showing that they had “adequate procedures” in place.
In response to the Bribery Act, the British Standards Institution has launched a new standard “BS10500:2011” which sets out a specification for an anti-bribery management system. It is designed to help companies verify, both within the organisation and to external stakeholders, that they have robust anti-bribery practices in place and that they are being implemented adequately. Using the system will help organisations identify areas of risk for their business and help them make sure that anti-bribery procedures are maintained and improved over time.
The new standard is available on the BSI’s website, and further details are available here http://shop.bsigroup.com/en/ProductDetail/?pid=000000000030238856