Corporate criminal liability in the UK: the introduction of deferred prosecution agreements, proposals for further change, and the consequences for officers and senior managers | Practical Law

Corporate criminal liability in the UK: the introduction of deferred prosecution agreements, proposals for further change, and the consequences for officers and senior managers | Practical Law

This article looks ahead to the introduction in 2014 of deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) and how they are intended to work in practice. It examines the proposed four-stage procedure for DPAs. It considers the current debate on corporate criminal liability in the UK and how both DPAs and any change to the framework of corporate criminal liability might impact on the position of individuals, particularly company officers. The current law on corporate criminal liability in the UK is considered, including the position of individual employees when companies commit offences. Proposals for reform are set out before the article concludes with the hope that careful consideration will be given to the impact of the changes on individuals whose personal criminal liability is intrinsically linked to the companies they serve.

Corporate criminal liability in the UK: the introduction of deferred prosecution agreements, proposals for further change, and the consequences for officers and senior managers

by Jonathan Grimes, Rebecca Niblock and Lorna Madden, Kingsley Napley LLP
Law stated as at 01 Nov 2013 • United Kingdom
This article looks ahead to the introduction in 2014 of deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) and how they are intended to work in practice. It examines the proposed four-stage procedure for DPAs. It considers the current debate on corporate criminal liability in the UK and how both DPAs and any change to the framework of corporate criminal liability might impact on the position of individuals, particularly company officers. The current law on corporate criminal liability in the UK is considered, including the position of individual employees when companies commit offences. Proposals for reform are set out before the article concludes with the hope that careful consideration will be given to the impact of the changes on individuals whose personal criminal liability is intrinsically linked to the companies they serve.
This article is part of the Practical Law multi-jurisdictional guide to corporate crime, fraud and investigations law. For a full list of jurisdictional Q&As visit www.practicallaw.com/corporatecrime-mjg.