Corruption laws: a non-lawyers' guide to laws and offences in the UK relating to corrupt behaviour

The United Kingdom has legislated against corruption in various forms since the late 19th Century, this itself drawing on a longer tradition in British law. The Bribery Act 2010 is a recent and landmark addition to the legislative environment in the UK for corruption. However, the Bribery Act does not address all forms of corrupt behaviour. Laws against money laundering, fraud and theft may be applied to detect, deter and recover the proceeds of corruption. In addition, legislation covers other types of corrupt behaviour both in public office and the private sector. The purpose of this paper is to inform all interested parties both domestically and overseas about the breadth of UK legislation which may have some application to countering bribery, corruption and related offenses like money laundering. It is a non-lawyers’ guide, and is therefore not a substitute for a detailed review of the legislation, but it is intended to be an easy entry point to stimulate further enquiry.