Earlier this fall, the United Kingdom scored its first-ever conviction against a company for overseas bribery, 10 years after the country first pledged to crack down on such abuse. Now more cases—and legislation—are on the way, and Britain may finally be delivering on its promise to get tough on corruption.
That first conviction, against construction company Mabey & Johnson for bribery in Africa and elsewhere, was a watershed moment for two reasons. Not only was the company convicted (a first in British legal history), but also the conviction arose through a plea agreement with the Serious Fraud Office, Britain’s primary enforcement agency for corruption cases.
