Fraud trial of former Barclays bosses puts SFO under scrutiny – The Guardian

Posted January 7th, 2019 in banking, conspiracy, fraud, news, Serious Fraud Office, trials by sally

‘A long-awaited fraud trial of four former Barclays executives will begin this week over charges related to a £12bn rescue package secured from investors including Qatar at the height of the financial crisis.’

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The Guardian, 6th January 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Two Tesco directors cleared of fraud as judge labels case ‘weak’ – The Guardian

Posted December 7th, 2018 in fraud, judges, juries, news, Serious Fraud Office by tracey

‘Two former Tesco executives accused of masterminding a fraud that triggered the biggest financial crisis in the supermarket chain’s 100-year history have been cleared after the judge threw out the case stating the prosecution case was “so weak” it should not be before a jury.’

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The Guardian, 6th December 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Courts uphold ‘ground breaking’ UK first unexplained wealth order – OUT-LAW.com

‘The High Court has upheld the UK’s first unexplained wealth order (UWO), dismissing a legal challenge to the order obtained by the National Crime Agency (NCA) earlier this year.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 16th October 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

SFO will not appeal landmark litigation privilege ruling – OUT-LAW.com

‘The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) will not appeal to the Supreme Court last month’s ruling that documents generated in connection with an investigation into the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) were protected by litigation privilege, it has confirmed.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 3rd October 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

‘Deceitful’ £17m solar panel scam gang jailed for fraud – BBC News

Posted October 3rd, 2018 in elderly, fraud, news, sentencing, Serious Fraud Office, victims by sally

‘Six men have been jailed over a £17m fraud involving selling solar panels to elderly, retired and vulnerable people.’

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BBC News, 2nd October 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

SFO increasingly using power to demand information without court approval – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 27th, 2018 in disclosure, investigatory powers, news, Serious Fraud Office by tracey

‘The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is increasingly using its powers to demand information from large businesses without the need to ask for court approval, new data has shown.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 26th September 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

ENRC sues Serious Fraud Office over ‘whistleblower failures’ – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The mining company at the centre of a row over professional privilege has called for an independent inquiry into the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), accusing the office of failing to investigate a whistleblower’s letter.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 14th June 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Barclays Bank charged by Serious Fraud Office over Qatar loan – The Independent

Posted February 12th, 2018 in banking, loans, news, prosecutions, Serious Fraud Office by tracey

‘The UK’s fraud watchdog has charged Barclays Bank over making a loan to Qatar back in 2008.’

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The Independent, 12th February 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Fraud office future secure as government eyes economic crime reform – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 12th, 2017 in crime, fraud, national crime agency, news, Serious Fraud Office by sally

‘The future of the Serious Fraud Office has been secured under plans aimed at tackling economic crime – though it will have to answer to a newly created oversight body.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 11th December 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Serious Fraud Office zeros in on large-scale fraud as prosecutions for other offences fall – The Independent

‘As the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) increasingly focuses on large-scale frauds, the overall number of fraud prosecutions in the UK is falling, new figures show.’

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The Independent, 5th November 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Solicitor General’s speech at Cambridge Symposium on Economic Crime – Attorney General’s Office

‘The Solicitor General discusses preventing and controlling economic crime in the modern world.’

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Attorney General’s Office, 4th September 2017

Source: www.gov.uk/ago

Serious Fraud Office opens investigation into BAT bribery claims – The Guardian

Posted August 2nd, 2017 in bribery, corruption, news, Serious Fraud Office, whistleblowers by tracey

‘Allegations that British American Tobacco was involved in bribery and corruption in Africa are being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office, despite the cigarette company’s attempts to downplay the significance of a whistleblower who handed over a dossier of evidence.’

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The Guardian, 1st August 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

White collar crime prosecutions fall as offences rise – OUT-LAW.com

‘The number of white collar crime prosecutions in the UK fell by 12% between 2015 and 2016, despite a 4% increase in the number of reported offences.’

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OUT-LAW.com,, 31st July 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

SFO granted a reprieve from plans to scrap it a day after Barclays charges – Daily Telegraph

Posted June 22nd, 2017 in banking, fraud, news, prosecutions, Serious Fraud Office by tracey

‘The Serious Fraud Office appears to have been granted a reprieve from plans to abolish it in a U-turn that came just a day after the organisation targeted Barclays with the first criminal charges ever brought against a bank over the financial crisis. Controversial proposals in the Conservative manifesto to fold the SFO into the National Crime Agency were quietly dropped from the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday.’

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Daily Telegraph, 21st June 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

SFO wins disclosure bid in legal privilege case – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 12th, 2017 in disclosure, fraud, news, privilege, prosecutions, Serious Fraud Office by sally

‘Companies can no longer assume that private documents, including interview records used for internal investigations, will be protected after a High Court ruling this week, lawyers have claimed.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 10th May 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Serious Fraud Office boss warns big names to play ball – or else – The Guardian

‘David Green, the director of the Serious Fraud Office, has warned that British businesses should not consider deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) the “new normal” if they are caught misbehaving.’

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The Guardian, 2nd April 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lawyers divided on new white-collar crime offences – Law Society’s Gazette

‘US-style ‘vicarious liability’ and new ‘failure to prevent’ offences are under consideration in long-awaited government proposals to reform the law on corporate criminal liability published today. Initial reaction from corporate crime specialists was divided, with some lawyers seeing the proposals as a climb-down while others described them as a new burden on business.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 13th January 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Serious Fraud Office given extra funds to investigate Unaoil bribery claims

Posted November 2nd, 2016 in bribery, news, Serious Fraud Office by tracey

‘The Serious Fraud Office has been given special funding to pursue its criminal investigation into a firm that has been implicated in an international bribery scandal.’

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The Guardian, 1st November 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Serious Fraud Office steps up BHS investigation – The Guardian

Posted September 29th, 2016 in fraud, insolvency, news, pensions, Serious Fraud Office by tracey

‘The Serious Fraud Office has stepped up its inquiries into the collapse of BHS and the conduct of the department store chain’s former owner Dominic Chappell.’

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The Guardian, 28th September 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The Serious Fraud Office and Legal Representation During Section 2 Interviews – Crimeline

Posted August 18th, 2016 in legal representation, news, Serious Fraud Office by tracey

‘It is often assumed that an individual being interviewed by an investigative body, whether under caution or voluntarily, has a fundamental right to legal representation and advice. However, the publication of new guidelines by the Serious Fraud Office (“SFO”) on the presence of lawyers and the conduct of interviews conducted pursuant to section 2 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987 (the “New Guidelines”) calls into question this assumption. This article will consider the New Guidelines which were issued following the case of Lord v the SFO[1].’

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Crimeline, 15th August 2016

Source: www.crimeline.info