The Serious Fraud Office's bribery settlement with a British defense contractor underscores the agency's policy shift toward cutting deals in less than ideal circumstances, offering a blueprint on how to realign derailed negotiations, lawyers say.
New legislation laid out in the King's Speech on Wednesday included the government's plans for a bill to strengthen trading ties with the European Union alongside an Enhancing Financial Services Bill in the next 12 months, but lawyers warn that the scope remains limited with potential unexpected consequences.
New powers that put companies on the chopping block for crimes committed by their executives dramatically expand corporate liability to include a wider array of offenses, which businesses already struggling with "compliance fatigue" have barely begun to grapple with, lawyers say.
When the Serious Fraud Office abruptly walked away from negotiations over a deferred prosecution agreement with Ultra Electronics in 2022 and widened its bribery investigation, it signaled a setback in the agency's use of corporate settlements.
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The Serious Fraud Office's bribery settlement with a British defense contractor underscores the agency's policy shift toward cutting deals in less than ideal circumstances, offering a blueprint on how to realign derailed negotiations, lawyers say.
New legislation laid out in the King's Speech on Wednesday included the government's plans for a bill to strengthen trading ties with the European Union alongside an Enhancing Financial Services Bill in the next 12 months, but lawyers warn that the scope remains limited with potential unexpected consequences.
New powers that put companies on the chopping block for crimes committed by their executives dramatically expand corporate liability to include a wider array of offenses, which businesses already struggling with "compliance fatigue" have barely begun to grapple with, lawyers say.
When the Serious Fraud Office abruptly walked away from negotiations over a deferred prosecution agreement with Ultra Electronics in 2022 and widened its bribery investigation, it signaled a setback in the agency's use of corporate settlements.
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May 21, 2026
The European Union's top court issued a series of judgments on Thursday reinforcing the bloc's ability to look past trusts to identify assets that individuals benefit from in order to enforce sanctions.
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May 21, 2026
Two businesses urged Britain's highest court on Thursday to rule that whistleblowers suing over unfair dismissal cannot also pursue separate claims for detriment arising from the same dismissal in a case that could reshape the scope of protection under the Employment Rights Act.
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May 21, 2026
U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced plans Thursday to restrict offshore tax planning by energy multinationals as part of a series of fiscal measures, including cuts to fuel duty and value-added tax.
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May 21, 2026
The former boss of London Capital & Finance PLC was hit with a six-month prison sentence Thursday for breaching an order imposed by the Serious Fraud Office during an investigation into the £237 million ($317.9 million) collapse of the company.
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May 21, 2026
An English appeals court ruled Thursday that the Solicitors Regulation Authority might have to pay Dentons more than £515,000 ($690,000) over the watchdog's failed attempt to prosecute the firm for breaching the U.K.'s money laundering rules.
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May 21, 2026
The Information Commissioner's Office said Thursday it had secured a confiscation order of more than £355,000 ($476,000) against a former motor insurance worker convicted of unlawfully accessing and selling personal data for financial gain.
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May 21, 2026
The Bank of England said Thursday that it will loosen rules to make it easier for foreign insurers to operate in the U.K. as part of an effort to boost the national economy.
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May 20, 2026
A London court rejected a former director's bid to claim a $1.3 million bonus from her old company, agreeing with an arbitrator that the director and the former CEO had fraudulently backdated an agreement by five years.
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May 20, 2026
Three companies have denied allegations that they conspired to defraud a management consultancy by helping a purported bond market trader dissipate a $9.4 million investment, claiming the funds they received from the trader's business were legitimate payments relating to loans.
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May 20, 2026
The City of London Police announced Wednesday that an international crackdown on fraud has led to the arrests of 31 people through a joint effort with the private sector and authorities in Nigeria.
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May 20, 2026
A senior tax barrister cheated the public purse out of almost £2 million ($2.7 million) through a series of "elaborate arrangements," a prosecutor said on the first day of the lawyer's criminal trial on Wednesday.
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May 20, 2026
The U.K. government on Wednesday permitted imports of diesel and jet fuel refined abroad using Russian crude oil, watering down sanctions on Russian oil products following the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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May 20, 2026
Nottingham Forest Football Club owner Evangelos Marinakis persuaded a London court on Wednesday that articles, videos and social media posts at the center of his £5 million ($6.7 million) libel claim against the chair of Greek club Aris are capable of being defamatory.
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May 19, 2026
A former criminal law specialist at a firm in northeast England has been barred from practicing after he deliberately directed a client to pay into his personal bank account more than £5,000 ($6,698) intended for his firm in legal fees.
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May 19, 2026
The U.K.'s charity watchdog said Tuesday that a football charity had "let down the players" as it published a highly critical report on mismanagement by trustees and announced the recovery of £2.5 million ($3.35 million) of funds by the nonprofit.
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May 19, 2026
The Bar Standards Board said Tuesday that it has appointed four new members to join its board during 2026, including Sara Lawson KC, the former general counsel of the Serious Fraud Office.
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May 19, 2026
Spain's former prime minister is under criminal investigation over corruption allegations linked to the government bailout of an airline during the COVID-19 pandemic, a judge revealed on Tuesday.
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May 19, 2026
The Metropolitan Police said Tuesday that 57 people and 20 organizations are suspects for criminal charges that might be brought over the Grenfell Tower fire in which 72 people — including 18 children — were killed.
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May 19, 2026
The Financial Conduct Authority told young drivers on Tuesday to be wary of ghost-broking scams online as it revealed that nearly half of young people on the road have bought car insurance through social media or messaging apps.
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May 19, 2026
Cyberattacks on businesses in Britain are estimated to have cost £3.7 billion ($5 billion) in litigation in 2025, an insurance broker has said, warning that many do not have sufficient cover to protect against legal and reputational damage caused by a major breach.
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May 19, 2026
The European Parliament approved tightened new rules governing foreign investments in sensitive sectors across the bloc on Tuesday, a significant step in its drive to protect economic security and reduce dependence on external powers.
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May 19, 2026
The London branch of Deutsche Bank AG has been fined £165,000 ($221,000) for processing two payment requests from an Apple subsidiary to a Russian app developer, the U.K.'s sanctions enforcer said Tuesday.
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May 18, 2026
The former CEO of Austrian lender Meinl Bank AG who was extradited from the U.K. has reached a tentative deal to resolve criminal charges that he helped Odebrecht SA hide $170 million in funds used to bribe officials around the world and defraud the Brazilian government, a Brooklyn federal court heard Monday.
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May 18, 2026
A former director of Everton Football Club failed to lift U.K. government sanctions imposed on him following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as a London court on Monday rejected his claims that the measures were irrational and disproportionately interfered with his human rights.
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May 18, 2026
The Spanish government must pay Shakira over €60 million ($70 million), including interest, after a Madrid court acquitted the Colombian singer of allegations of tax fraud in a long-running dispute over her residency status, the court announced Monday.