Originally published in Law360, New York on October 10, 2012.

When U.K. regulators tweaked the country's anti-bribery law Tuesday, it fueled additional speculation over a long-awaited guidance on the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, but attorneys cautioned against reading too far into the policy revision.

The U.K. Serious Fraud Office said in a policy guidance that it would take a tougher stance on prosecuting companies even if they self-report illegal activity. The SFO also vowed to increase scrutiny of bribes offered in the form of hospitality expenses and facilitation payments, which are unofficial payments made to public officials to secure or expedite routine business actions.

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