Leveson and new Directors of SFO and Public Prosecutions to give evidence to Lords Bribery Act Committee

The Committee's inquiry is tasked with examining: the effectiveness of the Bribery Act 2010; whether there has been stricter prosecution of corrupt conduct, a higher conviction rate, and a reduction of such conduct; the impact of the Act on SMEs; and the use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements in relation to bribery offences.

Giving evidence to the Committee at 10.35am will be Sir Brian Leveson. Sir Brian has overseen all of the Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) in the UK to date, including the £497.25m agreement with Rolls Royce.

He will be asked questions including:

• Do you think a company that self-reports at an early stage should automatically be offered a DPA?
• Is there a concern that some of the UK's largest companies may be offered DPAs however bad their conduct and regardless of whether they have self-reported or been cooperative?
• Transparency International believe that punishing senior individuals is the best deterrent. Do you agree?

Giving evidence to the Committee at 11.35am will be Lisa Osofsky, recently appointed Director of the Serious Fraud Office, and Max Hill QC, recently appointed Director of Public Prosecutions, along with their officials.

Questions are likely to include:

• Prosecutions for offences under the Bribery Act require the personal consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions or the Director of the Serious Fraud Office. Scotland has no analogous provisions. Is this provision overkill?
• Do you believe your organisations have adequate financial and human resources for the lengthy investigations often involved in relation to offences under the Bribery Act?
• How could investigations be shortened?

The evidence session will start at 10.35am in Committee Room 4 on Tuesday 13 November 2018.