The government has today announced a four-pronged strategy to tackle overseas bribery.

The strategy aims to strengthen the UK’s bribery laws through the new bribery bill; encourage UK companies to apply appropriate ethical standards; support law enforcement agencies in the detection of corruption; and reduce the demand for bribes by supporting international anti-corruption efforts.

The bribery bill currently before parliament would increase the penalty for bribery to a maximum 10 years prison sentence and an unlimited fine.

Justice secretary Jack Straw said the strategy would strengthen the UK’s reputation as one of the world’s least corrupt nations.

Sam Eastwood, a dispute resolution partner at City firm Norton Rose, said the enforcement regime for bribery was now much more rigorous than before.

He said: ‘The UK government is intent on addressing the trenchant criticism from the US and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in particular about its historic corruption enforcement record. This strategy paper sets the bribery bill in context.

‘So far as active enforcement is concerned, it is notable that only this week news broke of indictments against five UK citizens in an FBI sting involving military and law enforcement supplies. This followed the active involvement of the City of London Police.’