‘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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full speech

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full story

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.’

Full story

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.’

Full story

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.’

Full story

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].’

Full story

Crimeline, 15th August 2016

Source: www.crimeline.info

Serious Fraud Office launches criminal inquiry into Tata Steel – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 8th, 2016 in fraud, inquiries, news, Serious Fraud Office by tracey

‘The Serious Fraud Office has opened a criminal inquiry into Tata’s steel-making operation, the Telegraph can disclose.
Police officers are examining allegations that staff working for the company’s office in Britain may have falsified certificates detailing the composition of the product before they were sold.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 8th April 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

City lawyers concerned about change to SFO – The Independent

Posted February 16th, 2016 in fraud, legal profession, national crime agency, news, Serious Fraud Office by sally

‘Senior City lawyers are railing against plans to subsume the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) into the National Crime Agency (NCA), amid fears of yet more disruption to the prosecution of white-collar crime.’

Full story

The Independent, 16th February 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Chickens coming home to roost: SFO’s first conviction of a company for bribery after contested trial – RPC Financial Services Blog

Posted January 8th, 2015 in bribery, company directors, corruption, news, Serious Fraud Office by sally

‘Hot on the heels of the SFO’s first conviction under the Bribery Act 2010, discussed in George’s post, and just as some of us were disappearing for a Christmas break, the SFO announced its first conviction of a company for bribery of foreign public officials after a contested trial. (Regular SFO-watchers will recall that in Mabey & Johnson (2009) and Innospec (2010), both companies pleaded guilty by agreement to offences involving bribery of foreign public officials.) This prosecution was not in fact under the much-trumpeted Bribery Act 2010, but under s1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906.’

Full story

RPC Financial Services Blog, 7th January 2015

Source: www.rpc.co.uk

Two more guilty of record boiler room fraud – BBC News

‘New convictions in the UK’s biggest-ever boiler room scam bring the total convictions in this £70m fraud to nine.’

Full story

BBC News, 4th June 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk