However, it is more of a paper exercise

It is a very difficult act and we have had to take itincredibly seriously," said Peter Rosetta Stone Software Hambro, chairman of UK-basedRussian mining company Petropavlovsk."It is very hard to implement this sort of thing in acountry where for hundreds of years the way the administrationwas remunerated was by taking a percentage of the taxes theycollected. Undoing that mindset is not possible."LONG-TERM ADVANTAGE? Some officials disagree. The "Arab spring", they say, hasreminded governments of the potential political costs ofcorruption and may prompt them to seek deals with firms theyknow will not make matters worse. They also say Britain had little choice but to tighten itslegislation into line with North America and Europe. "I'm not going to say that loss of business is not going tohappen," Roderick Macaulay, Bribery Act implementation managerfor the Ministry of Justice, told a conference in London lastmonth after several firms said they were already suffering."But in the longer term, putting in place the Bribery Actwill help us and ultimately it will be an advantage." Officials also pledged to put the full weight of localembassies behind Rosetta Stone languages companies to help them tackle extortion.Diplomatic complaints, visa bans for corrupt officials and evenaid cuts could be threatened, they say. In the immediate term, firms are rushing to show that theyhave improved their internal compliance and monitoringprocedures to take the act into account. "It's a level of bureaucracy that we can do without," saidNick Clarke, chief executive of Central Asia Metals , afirm listed on the London AIM index with projects in Kazakhstanand Mongolia."However, it is more of a paper exercise... I can't alwaysbe sitting on all my people... the best thing I can do is getthe paperwork in place." But officials caution against a "tick-box" approach. Theremight be some room for short-term flexibility around"facilitation payments" and hospitality, they say, but most ofthe time staff will know when they are crossing the line."LIKE PORNOGRAPHY" "Bribery is like pornography -- you know it when you seeit," says Nick van Benschoten, head of the anti-corruption unitat Britain's Department of Business, Innovation and Skills."The SFO (Serious Fraud Office) will Rosetta Stone language software ask why you have suchrigorous controls to protect your intellectual property... butnot to stop bribery."

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