THE TELEGRAPH: Britain's failure to tackle corporate bribery and corruption allegations was severely criticised in a report started after the Government blocked an investigation into a huge arms deal between BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said it was "disappointed and seriously concerned about the UK's continued failure to address deficiencies in its laws on bribery of foreign public officials and on corporate liability for foreign bribery".
Compiled by the OECD's anti-corruption working group, the report said that British law makes it "very difficult for prosecutors to bring an effective case against a company for alleged bribery offences".
And the Government was slated for its failure to successfully prosecute a single firm for bribery, despite ratifying the body's anti-bribery convention 10 years ago.
The strength of criticism and lack of diplomatic language used in the report will be embarrassing for the Government, which in 2006 urged the Serious Fraud Office to drop an investigation into BAE's Al Yamamah contract with Saudi.
Earlier this year the Law Lords said the SFO was right to drop the investigation on national security grounds. BAE Systems has always denied any wrongdoing.
The OECD usually carries out reviews on members every two years, but decided to undertake an extra investigation of the UK's enforcement of the anti-bribery convention following the controversial BAE decision.
The body urged Britain to rapidly bring its legislation into line with its international obligations under the convention. >>> By Russell Hotten | October 17, 2008
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