An employee at a London court has made history by becoming the first person to be charged under the new Bribery Act.
Munir Yakub Patel, 21, from Dagenham, an administrative clerk at Redbridge Magistrates’ Court, Ilford, has already been charged with misconduct in a public office and perverting the course of justice. The Bribery Act charge will be put to him at Southwark Crown Court on 14 October.
The BBC reported on 31 August that he had been arrested after The Sun filmed a man apparently accepting £500 to keep a traffic penalty off a legal database.
Gaon Hart, a reviewing lawyer with the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “I have reviewed all of the evidence gathered by the police and considered the Director of Public Prosecution’s guidelines on the Bribery Act.
"I am satisfied there is sufficient evidence to charge Munir Patel with requesting and receiving a bribe on August 1 intending to improperly perform his functions.
"Patel has already been charged with misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice. He still faces these charges, which relate to other alleged misconduct during his employment."
John Dalby, head of Gregg Latchams’ Corporate & Commercial department, said: “Much of the publicity surrounding the introduction of the Act focused on its impact on businesses, for example its role in combating bribery in overseas markets, the corporate offence it introduced of failing to prevent bribery by someone working on behalf of a business and the potential for corporate hospitality to fall within its scope.
“So although this case makes legal history as the first brought under the Bribery Act, it is unlikely that anyone would have anticipated the circumstances involved.
“However, this prosecution reinforces the breadth of the Bribery Act and the serious penalties involved, with the Crown Court able to impose a maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment for the offence with which Mr Patel is charged.
“It remains the case that the Bribery Act will not be relevant to every business, but for clarification and peace of mind it may be helpful to seek expert legal advice.”
For more information, please contact John Dalby
