UK adopts new anti-corruption plan

The United Kingdom has adopted a new anti- corruption plan with emphasis on preventive measures to stamp out bribery and corruption involving transactions in both the public and private sectors.

The initiative which is similar to the preventive mechanisms introduced by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, few years ago, focuses on increased cooperation among regulators, public and private establishments with government’s anti- corruption efforts.

The plan has been described as the United Kingdom’s “first effort at pulling together a broad range of resources including government,civil society organisations, law enforcement and other partners to stamp out bribery and corruption”.

The initiative encourages partnerships among law enforcement agencies, public institutions, private firms and other groups to monitor proper compliance with standard ethical conduct in the various sectors, report violations promptly and cooperate fully in investigation.

The new plan which is driven by four cardinal action points namely: Pursue, Prevention, Protect, Prepare, also aims at ensuring that organisations have solid measures in place to prevent bribery and corruption and other financial crimes while those that have a clear anti- bribery and corruption policy will be recognised.