 The scope of the Act 's provisions is set out in Section 12 . For someone to fall within the Act 's purview , they must have either committed a crime inside the United Kingdom , or acted outside of the United Kingdom in a way which would have constituted a crime had it happened in the UK . For a prosecution in the latter case , the person must have a " close connection " to the UK , which includes being a British citizen , resident or protected person , a company incorporated in the UK , or a Scottish partnership . Section 13 provides the only defence available with the general bribery offences — that the conduct was necessary for the proper functioning of the intelligence services or , when engaged in active service , the armed forces . Under Section 14 , senior officers or directors in a company which commits a general bribery offence will also be liable for the purposes of the Act . In the case of an offence committed by a partnership , Section 15 provides that the prosecution must be brought in the name of the partnership and not in the name of any of the partners . 
