Anti-bribery laws反商業賄賂法

　　Palms ungreased揩油

　　A long-delayed anti-bribery law will soon come intoforce

　　姍姍來遲的反賄賂法即將生效

　　THERE is a lingering assumption among Britons thattheir country stands for probity and fair play. Askabout it abroad, though, and you sometimes get adifferent reaction. Anti-corruption campaigners stillbring up Tony Blairs decision in 2006 to abandonan investigation into a ??43 billion weapons deal with Saudi Arabia. Then there is thepeculiar paucity of British sanctions imposed under an international bribery convention: twobetween 1999 and 2009, compared with 88 in America, 26 in Germany and 40 in Italy.

　　英國人一直自矜的認為他們的國家建立在正直和公正的基石上。然而國外的反應卻不盡如此。反腐競選人依舊利用Tony Blair2006年的決定拒絕調查與Saudi Arabia的一項43億英鎊的軍火交易。因此國際賄賂協議對英國的約束力就罕見的微弱，在1999年和2009年之間只有2項受到制裁，相較而言美國有 88項，德國26項，意大利40項。

　　Stung by such talk, in 2008 the previous Labour government proposed a new law updating thecountrys antiquated rules on backhanders and bungs, including those dispensed overseas.Both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, now in government, backed the law inopposition. It reached the statute book in April last year; under it, miscreants risk big finesand up to ten years in prison. It was due to take effect in April this year, after the publication inJanuary of guidelines on how to apply it. But, as the date approached, the Ministry of Justicesaid the implementation of the law had been postponed to allow the guidelines to be tweaked,following intense lobbying from business groups such as the Confederation of British Industry.

　　被如此言論激怒的前工黨政府2008年提出了一項新法律，以改革對回扣和紅包的過時規定，在海外具有同等約束力。但是政府里的自由民主黨和保守黨都反對此法案。它涉及去年4月的法令全書，在該全書中，歹徒將被處以巨額罰款和最多10年監禁。在今年1月實施指導條例公布之后，該法預定4月份生效。但是隨著日期臨近，在一些商業集團如英國工業聯合會緊張的游說之后，司法部說該法會延遲施行以便修改指導條例。

　　On March 30th the ministry said the law would finally come into effect on July 1st and issued arevised set of guidelines. These clarify some of the things that were worrying bosses. To therelief of football clubs, swanky nightclubs and Formula 1, taking clients on company-sponsoredjollies seems unlikely to cause any problems. The question of how responsible British firms arefor the misbehaviour of contractors in other countries has been clarified.

　　在3月30日司法部說該法最終將在7月1日生效，并發布了修改后的指導條例。這些闡明了一些正困擾著老板們的麻煩事。為了救濟足球俱樂部，驕傲的夜總會和F1方程式賽車，讓顧客參加公司贊助的娛樂活動似乎不會引起任何麻煩。英國公司為合約商的失誤應付多大責任的問題也得到了解答。

　　On the other hand, facilitation payments, a euphemistic term for the small bungs sometimespaid to foreign officials to expedite a legitimate servicea licence application, for instancearediscouraged. Americas Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, one of the inspirations for the new law,allows them.

　　另一方面，便利費不受鼓勵，實際上這只是有時支付給外國官員以加速合法業務如許可證申請的小額回扣。而讓英國的該新法受啟發的美國外國腐敗行為法案卻允許此類行為。

　　Lawyers are still pondering precisely how much legal force these guidelines will have. Oneparticularly thorny question is whether foreign firms that are listed on British stockmarkets butconduct little other business in the country will be covered. The government has offered noopinion; the question might one day make for a fascinating court case.

　　律師們仍在深思這些指導條例會有多大的法律效力。一個特別棘手的問題是該法律對那些參與英國股票市場但是幾乎沒有在英國開展其他業務的外國公司是否有法律效力。政府沒有給出選項，或許有一天這會訴諸司法并引起廣泛關注。

　　Anti-bribery laws反商業賄賂法

　　Palms ungreased揩油

　　A long-delayed anti-bribery law will soon come intoforce

　　姍姍來遲的反賄賂法即將生效

　　THERE is a lingering assumption among Britons thattheir country stands for probity and fair play. Askabout it abroad, though, and you sometimes get adifferent reaction. Anti-corruption campaigners stillbring up Tony Blairs decision in 2006 to abandonan investigation into a ??43 billion weapons deal with Saudi Arabia. Then there is thepeculiar paucity of British sanctions imposed under an international bribery convention: twobetween 1999 and 2009, compared with 88 in America, 26 in Germany and 40 in Italy.

　　英國人一直自矜的認為他們的國家建立在正直和公正的基石上。然而國外的反應卻不盡如此。反腐競選人依舊利用Tony Blair2006年的決定拒絕調查與Saudi Arabia的一項43億英鎊的軍火交易。因此國際賄賂協議對英國的約束力就罕見的微弱，在1999年和2009年之間只有2項受到制裁，相較而言美國有 88項，德國26項，意大利40項。

　　Stung by such talk, in 2008 the previous Labour government proposed a new law updating thecountrys antiquated rules on backhanders and bungs, including those dispensed overseas.Both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, now in government, backed the law inopposition. It reached the statute book in April last year; under it, miscreants risk big finesand up to ten years in prison. It was due to take effect in April this year, after the publication inJanuary of guidelines on how to apply it. But, as the date approached, the Ministry of Justicesaid the implementation of the law had been postponed to allow the guidelines to be tweaked,following intense lobbying from business groups such as the Confederation of British Industry.

　　被如此言論激怒的前工黨政府2008年提出了一項新法律，以改革對回扣和紅包的過時規定，在海外具有同等約束力。但是政府里的自由民主黨和保守黨都反對此法案。它涉及去年4月的法令全書，在該全書中，歹徒將被處以巨額罰款和最多10年監禁。在今年1月實施指導條例公布之后，該法預定4月份生效。但是隨著日期臨近，在一些商業集團如英國工業聯合會緊張的游說之后，司法部說該法會延遲施行以便修改指導條例。

　　On March 30th the ministry said the law would finally come into effect on July 1st and issued arevised set of guidelines. These clarify some of the things that were worrying bosses. To therelief of football clubs, swanky nightclubs and Formula 1, taking clients on company-sponsoredjollies seems unlikely to cause any problems. The question of how responsible British firms arefor the misbehaviour of contractors in other countries has been clarified.

　　在3月30日司法部說該法最終將在7月1日生效，并發布了修改后的指導條例。這些闡明了一些正困擾著老板們的麻煩事。為了救濟足球俱樂部，驕傲的夜總會和F1方程式賽車，讓顧客參加公司贊助的娛樂活動似乎不會引起任何麻煩。英國公司為合約商的失誤應付多大責任的問題也得到了解答。

　　On the other hand, facilitation payments, a euphemistic term for the small bungs sometimespaid to foreign officials to expedite a legitimate servicea licence application, for instancearediscouraged. Americas Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, one of the inspirations for the new law,allows them.

　　另一方面，便利費不受鼓勵，實際上這只是有時支付給外國官員以加速合法業務如許可證申請的小額回扣。而讓英國的該新法受啟發的美國外國腐敗行為法案卻允許此類行為。

　　Lawyers are still pondering precisely how much legal force these guidelines will have. Oneparticularly thorny question is whether foreign firms that are listed on British stockmarkets butconduct little other business in the country will be covered. The government has offered noopinion; the question might one day make for a fascinating court case.

　　律師們仍在深思這些指導條例會有多大的法律效力。一個特別棘手的問題是該法律對那些參與英國股票市場但是幾乎沒有在英國開展其他業務的外國公司是否有法律效力。政府沒有給出選項，或許有一天這會訴諸司法并引起廣泛關注。