Lord Wallace of Saltaire
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Lord Wallace of Saltaire Excerpts(9 years ago)
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Lord Faulks
I suppose there might be some slight dispute over cause and effect, but nevertheless I join my noble friend.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD)
My Lords, does Her Majesty’s oversight of criminal law extend to offshore financial centres under United Kingdom sovereignty? From what has already come out, it is clear that a number of these illegal payments flowed through offshore financial centres that are British Overseas Territories. Do the Government intend to investigate that, or do they regard it as outside their jurisdiction?
Lord Faulks
It will be a question of fact in relation to each allegation as to whether it comes within the jurisdiction. As the noble Lord may well be aware, the Bribery Act 2010 came into force in July 2011, which has to some extent extended criminal jurisdiction. The timing of any alleged offence will be crucial, but if there are any offences we are not going to be restrained if there is a prima facie case of infringement of criminal law within this jurisdiction.