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When the long awaited Bribery Act finally came into force on 1 July 2011 most people expected the first prosecution would not commence for many months, if not a year or more and would probably involve a huge bribe.

However, this did not prove to be the case as a humble Magistrates Court Clerk, Mr Munir Patel aged 22, proved to be the first person to be charged and found guilty under the Act for taking £500 to avoid putting details of a traffic summons on a court database. The Judge said the indictment involved at least 53 cases in which he had manipulated the process in order to save the offenders from the consequences of their offending.

Mr Patel was sentenced to three years for bribery and six years for misconduct at Southwark Crown Court.

The severity of the penalty reflects the fact that Mr Patel was in a public office and sends a powerful message to all that no matter how modest the amount of a bribe is the consequences can be very severe.

Alan Davies
Partner
T: +44 (0) 118 957 0300
E: alandavies@pitmans.com