The purpose of this policy is to establish controls to ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and corruption regulations, and to ensure that the Company’s business is conducted in a socially responsible manner.
Bribery is the offering, promising, giving, accepting or soliciting of an advantage as an inducement for action which is illegal or a breach of trust. A bribe is an inducement or reward offered, promised or provided in order to gain any commercial, contractual, regulatory or personal advantage.
It is our policy to conduct all of our business in an honest and ethical manner. We take a zero- tolerance approach to bribery and corruption. We are committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships wherever we operate and implementing and enforcing effective systems to counter bribery.
We will uphold all laws relevant to countering bribery and corruption in all the jurisdictions in which we operate. However, we remain bound by the laws in England and Wales in respect of our conduct both at home and abroad.
Bribery and corruption are punishable for individuals by imprisonment and a fine. If we are found to have taken part in corruption, we could face an unlimited fine, be excluded from tendering for contracts and face damage to our reputation. We therefore take our responsibilities very seriously.
In this policy, third party means any individual or organisation we come into contact with during the course of our work, and includes actual and potential clients, customers, suppliers, distributors, business contacts, agents, advisers, and government and public bodies, including their advisors, representatives and officials, politicians and political parties.
This policy applies to all individuals working at all levels and grades, including senior managers, officers, directors, employees (whether permanent, fixed-term or temporary), consultants, contractors, trainees, seconded staff, homeworkers, casual workers and agency staff, volunteers, interns, agents, sponsors, or any other person associated with us.
Employees must not engage in any form of bribery, either directly or through any third party (such as an agent or distributor). Specifically, employees must not bribe a public official anywhere in the world.
Employees must not offer, give, or receive any gift or hospitality:
If it is not appropriate to decline the offer of a gift, the gift may be accepted, provided it is then declared to the employee’s manager and donated to charity.
We appreciate that the practice of giving business gifts varies and what may be normal and acceptable in some circumstances may not be in another. The test to be applied is whether in all the circumstances the gift or hospitality is reasonable and justifiable. The intention behind the gift should always be considered.
Facilitation payments are a form of bribery made for the purpose of expediting or facilitating the performance of a public official for a routine governmental action, and not to obtain or retain business or any improper business advantage. Facilitation payments tend to be demanded by low level officials to obtain a level of service which one would normally be entitled to.
Our strict policy is that facilitation payments must not be paid.
We do not make donations, whether in cash or kind, in support of any political parties or candidates, as this can be perceived as an attempt to gain an improper business advantage. We only make charitable donations that are legal and ethical. No donation may be offered or made without the prior approval of the directors.