An administrative court clerk is set to become the first person to be prosecuted under the Bribery Act 2010 over allegations that he accepted a bribe to influence criminal proceedings.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided to prosecute Munir Yakub Patel under Section 2 of the Act for requesting and receiving a bribe intending to improperly perform his functions, marking the first case since new UK bribery laws came into effect this summer.

The alleged misconduct is said to have been carried out during Patel's employment at London's Redbridge Magistrates' Court.

The charge under the Bribery Act will be put to Patel at Southwark Crown Court on 14 October 2011, with a maximum sentence for the offence standing at 10 years' imprisonment from the Crown Court.

The reviewing lawyer for the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, Gaon Hart, said: "It is alleged that Patel promised an individual summonsed for a motoring offence that he could influence the course of criminal proceedings in exchange for £500, on 1 August 2011.

"Patel has already been charged with misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice. He still faces these charges, which relate to other alleged misconduct during his employment."

The Bribery Act 2010 came into effect on 1 July this year, marking the biggest overhaul of UK bribery laws in over a century.

The Act created four criminal offences relating to bribery: bribing another; being bribed; bribing a foreign official; and, for commercial organisations, failing to prevent bribery. The Act also marks the first time in the UK that bribery will be a corporate crime.