Is the law getting to grips with bribery?
BBC Radio 4 "Law in Action"

first published 9 March 2010

A BBC Radio 4 programme Law in Action examined what difference proposed reforms of the UK’s anti-bribery laws would make and recent cases, such as the Serious Fraud Office's settlement with BAE Systems.

Fraud lawyer Monty Raphael said that the Bribery Bill, if it became law, could act as a shield of UK companies, enabling them to say "It’s illegal in our country and that’s an end of the matter."

A former case controller at the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) Bill Waite highlighted the lack of transparency concerning the SFO's plea bargain settlements and the reasons why it makes those settlements. Monty Raphael said "I don’t believe that we have an entirely coherent plea bargaining system . . . It’s a procedure in transition and it needs to be matured, and possibly receive some judicial attention."