The AFP and the Commonwealth DPP are pursuing a number of people in relation to charges of bribing foreign public officials.
The genesis of these charges is often in the media pushing instances of “bribery” or in companies passing on information and evidence to the AFP regarding their own employees. Often these employees are carrying out orders given to them by the company and engenders no personal gain for themselves. Whether it is swept up by the amendments to the code depends on the factual circumstances.
We act for one of the accused in the Reserve Bank Securency prosecution.
The prosecution team in the Commonwealth DPP are essentially the same team who have previously been involved, for the last four years, in prosecuting clients of ours who were charged with (and, in two out of three trials acquitted of ) terrorism charges. The Prosecution have vast amounts of resources to dedicate to these cases and they follow similar strategies in how they prosecute these matters.
With our experience and expertise in this area, we can give pragmatic advice and represent people defending bribery charges. Our exceptional skills in defence preparation can and, in other scenarios have, head off charges before an investigation starts.
As the Reserve Bank/Securrency case shows the Prosecution will prosecute many people inside an organisation and it is their position that substantial gaol terms should be given to employees of companies, even if they have derived no personal benefit.
Have you been charged with bribery of a foreign official or want learn more? Read on:
- Elements of the charge of bribery of a foreign public official
- Penalties for bribery of a foreign public official
- What is a benefit in a foreign bribery case?
- Facilitation payments
- Who is a foreign official in a bribery case?
- Defences to charges of bribing a foreign official
- Using a criminal lawyer in bribery of a foreign official matters
