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U.K. Ministry Guidance Weakens Anti-Bribery Law, Say Former British Officials

By Brian Monroe

The United Kingdom's law enforcement arm said Wednesday that it would not pursue convictions under a new anti-bribery law against companies and individuals with a limited presence in the country. The disclosure by the U.K. Ministry of Justice came as part of compliance guidance on the law, passed in April, which criminalized bribing foreign officials to obtain business contracts. Implementation of the law, which also banned so-called "facilitation payments," was originally slated for April but was pushed back after British companies complained that it was overly severe. On Wednesday, the ministry said that non-British companies without a "demonstrable business presence"...

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