The House of Representatives will consider a bill that seeks to impose a seven-year prison sentence or a N5m fine, on anybody who is found guilty of giving or receiving bribes in workplaces across the country.
The bill is being sponsored by Paul Nnamchi (Enugu East/Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency) and three others.
And it aims to curb bribery in both public and private workplaces.
It is slated for further debate when the House resumes on June 17.
Titled ‘A Bill for an Act to Provide Effective Deterrence and Consequences for Bribery in Workplaces,’ the proposed legislation prescribes tough penalties for bribery offences in government agencies, corporations, nongovernmental Organisations, and other professional settings.
A copy of the bill obtained by Sunday PUNCH defines bribery as “the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of anything of value as an inducement or reward to influence the actions of an employee, officer, or agent in the workplace.”
Under the proposed law, anyone who offers or gives a bribe “in cash, gifts, favours, or other benefits” to influence an official action will be liable, upon conviction, to a fine of not less than N5m or three times the value of the bribe, whichever is higher, and/or imprisonment for at least seven years.
It further proposes a stiffer penalty of a 10-year jail term and the same financial sanctions for anyone who solicits or receives a bribe.
