Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

  • January 27, 2025

    Mike Ashley Wins Data Request Battle With HMRC

    HM Revenue and Customs wrongly withheld personal information from Mike Ashley after the founder of the Sports Direct chain issued a data request following the tax authority's demand for £13.6 million ($17 million) in additional taxes, a London court ruled Monday.

  • January 27, 2025

    FCA Urges Tribunal To OK Spoofing Fines For 3 Bond Traders

    The Financial Conduct Authority asked a tribunal on Monday to uphold its disciplinary action against three traders for alleged market abuse, saying they had engaged in trading that was intended to mislead the market and should be subject to a ban and a fine.

  • January 27, 2025

    Guralp Says SFO Missed Deadline To Enforce DPA Breach

    The Serious Fraud Office missed the deadline to enforce a major breach of a corporate bribery settlement with a seismic technology company because of an unfortunate — but crucial — "slip up," lawyers for the business argued at a London court Monday. 

  • January 27, 2025

    Trader Faces US Extradition Over $10M Securities Fraud

    A trader wanted for running a "pump and dump" scheme that generated more than $10 million in unlawful stock sales will face extradition to the U.S. at a London court hearing in June, it was confirmed on Monday.

  • January 24, 2025

    Reed Smith Brings Back Tax Pro From Amazon In Brussels

    An attorney who specializes in customs, trade and excise tax matters in the European Union and U.K. has rejoined Reed Smith LLP in Brussels after a stint at Amazon, the firm announced.

  • January 24, 2025

    FCA Settles Claims Law Firm Helped Illegal Investment Plans

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Friday it has settled with a regional law firm over allegations that it helped a client promote a misleading care home investment scheme causing £50 million ($62 million) in losses.

  • January 24, 2025

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen Axa Insurance and Admiral face a claim from a former lawyer recently exposed for personal injury fraud, the owner of Reading Football Club sue a prospective buyer and mobile network Lycamobile tackle action by Spanish network Yogio. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • January 24, 2025

    Securities Class Actions Down But Not Out After Suboxone

    The Court of Appeal's refusal to allow investors in Reckitt and Indivior to bring a novel group claim over the marketing of an opioid addiction treatment marks a further setback for shareholders looking to hold listed companies liable for plunges in share prices.

  • January 24, 2025

    SFO Lawyers Say ENRC Win Worth Upwards Of $120M

    A decision barring Kazakh miner ENRC from asserting damages on behalf of its subsidiaries against the Serious Fraud Office could be worth as much as $120 million, the agency's lawyers have said.

  • January 24, 2025

    FBI 'Bait And Switch' Breached Suspect's Rights, Lawyer Says

    FBI agents held an Israeli private investigator accused of hacking climate activists in custody without warning him of his right to remain silent, denying him a fair trial if he is extradited to the U.S., a lawyer testified in London on Friday.

  • January 24, 2025

    Russian Banking Oligarch's Wife Loses Bid To Lift Sanctions

    A Ukrainian-Russian tycoon's wife lost her fight to lift U.K. sanctions against her on Friday as an appellate court ruled that the restrictions were a proportionate way of undermining the Kremlin after Russia invaded Ukraine.

  • January 23, 2025

    Ex-Amazon Exec Will Oversee Google, Apple Probe In UK

    The U.K.'s competition enforcer said Thursday it will be looking into how Google and Apple's "mobile ecosystems" have been affecting competition for both consumers and businesses, an announcement that comes just days after the watchdog booted its leader for a former Amazon head honcho.

  • January 23, 2025

    UK Gov't Tones Down Plan For Non-Dom Tax Changes

    The U.K. government will amend its finance bill to soften its plan to abolish the nondomicile tax status for people claiming tax benefits as nonresidents, Exchequer Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in an interview broadcast Thursday.

  • January 23, 2025

    FCA Finds Gaps In Brokers' Money Laundering Defenses

    The Financial Conduct Authority on Thursday urged brokers to tighten anti-money laundering controls, after a review it ran found gaps in their defenses against the flow of tainted cash through Britain's capital markets.

  • January 23, 2025

    Poland's €23M For Chemical Co. Clears EU State Aid Inquiry

    The Polish government didn't break state aid law when it awarded €23 million ($23.9 million) to a chemical producer to open a production plant, the European Commission said Thursday.

  • January 23, 2025

    Watchdog Restricts Scottish Broker Over Premium Concerns

    The Financial Conduct Authority has restricted a Scotland-based insurance broker from carrying out regulated activities over "concerns" the business has sold policies but failed to pass on payments to insurers.

  • January 23, 2025

    Litigation-Funder Sues Merricks Over Mastercard Settlement

    A representative of more than 45 million U.K. consumers in a class action against Mastercard is being sued by his litigation-funder over his decision to reach a settlement in the £10 billion ($12.3 billion) case for £200 million.

  • January 23, 2025

    5 Questions For Katten Partner Nathaniel Lalone

    The Digital Operational Resilience Act has set tough new rules for financial businesses in the European Union to prevent disruptions in digital services from external providers. Here, Nathaniel Lalone, of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, tells Law360 about how the act could have an impact on some financial entities in Britain.

  • January 23, 2025

    Police Sanction Of Sex Pest Cop Deficient, Appeal Court Finds

    The Metropolitan Police said it would reconvene a misconduct panel to interrogate historical claims of sexual harassment against a former detective chief inspector with the London force after the Court of Appeal ruled it had provided inadequate reasons for its initial sanction.

  • January 23, 2025

    SFO Cuts $80M From ENRC's Claim Over Criminal Probe

    A judge cut $80 million off ENRC's claim against the Serious Fraud Office over the agency's criminal investigation into the Kazakh miner on Thursday, finding that the company's lawyers "took their eye off the ball" and let the issue slide.

  • January 23, 2025

    Reckitt Investors Lose Bid For Opioid Representative Claim

    Investors' claims against Reckitt and Indivior over the misleading marketing of an opioid addiction drug can proceed only as multiparty proceedings, the Court of Appeal ruled Thursday, denting the prospects of representative actions being used in securities litigation.

  • January 22, 2025

    Dubai-Based Exchange Fined $9.2M To End Bank Fraud Probe

    A Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based financial services company has agreed to pay $9.2 million to U.S. prosecutors over a U.K. subsidiary's false claims that it was in compliance with anti-money laundering laws, avoiding criminal charges.

  • January 22, 2025

    Former Oil Execs Beat Decade-Long $335M Fraud Claim

    Former top executives at oil trader Arcadia Group defeated a near decade-long $335 million fraud claim Wednesday after a London court dismissed allegations the men had diverted oil trading profits into their own pockets.  

  • January 22, 2025

    Eurochem Group Founder Loses Bid To Lift EU Sanctions

    Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, the founder of fertilizer giant Eurochem Group, lost a bid to have European Union sanctions lifted on Wednesday as a court ruled that they should remain in place.

  • January 22, 2025

    UK Gov't To Tap Into Bank Accounts Of Benefits Fraudsters

    Benefits cheats who fail to reimburse taxpayers could have cash owed taken directly from their bank accounts, as part of the U.K. government's plan to launch the "biggest fraud crackdown in a generation."

Expert Analysis

  • Insurance Ruling Stresses High Hurdle To Fix Policy Wording

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    In Project Angel v. Axis, the Court of Appeal recently refused to rewrite the exclusion clause of an insurance policy, reminding parties in the warranty and indemnity market to carefully word clauses, as there is a high threshold before courts will intervene to amend policies, say Joseph Moore and Laura McCann at Travers Smith.

  • CMA Reports Signal Tighter Scrutiny Of AI Model Markets

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    The Competition and Markets Authority’s recent reports on artificial intelligence foundation models suggest that competition in AI is not working as it should, so large digital firms can expect the regulator to use its full toolbox as it continues to monitor and investigate the sector, say lawyers at Cooley.

  • Taking Stock Of Changes UK Economic Crime Act Will Bring

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    With more than six months since the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act's enactment, it is time to look at the steps organizations can take to prepare for imminent changes, including the new failure to prevent fraud offense and extensions to Companies House authority, say lawyers at Mayer Brown.

  • Examining Senior Managers' Accountability For AI Use

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    With the Financial Conduct Authority's artificial intelligence update and the Prudential Regulation Authority’s letter to the government offering key guidance on the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, Senior Managers in these organizations need to show they have taken steps to prevent breaching requirements in order not to be held personally accountable, says Jennifer Holyoake at DLA Piper.

  • FCA Brokerage Changes Offer Asset Managers Wider Options

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s fast-tracked plan to lift its controversial ban on joint payments to broker-dealers for third-party services will be welcomed by many asset managers wishing to return to a soft commission structure, say Richard Frase and Simon Wright at Dechert.

  • What Cos. Should Know About The EU Greenwashing Rules

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    The EU's recently proposed Green Claims Directive introduces new rules to improve the transparency and honesty of environmental claims in advertising, which will help ensure that consumers receive accurate and reliable information to make informed purchasing decisions, says Daja Apetz-Dreier at Morgan Lewis.

  • Sanctions Ruling Opens Door For Enforcer To Clear Up Rules

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    In Vneshprombank v. Bedzhamov, the High Court recently argued against a broader interpretation of the test on reasonable suspicion for asset freezes, offering the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation an opportunity to clarify when freezes should be applied and respond to judicial criticism of its guidance on financial sanctions, says Tasha Benkhadra at Corker Binning.

  • How Gov't Response Addresses Investment Act Concerns

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    The government’s recently published response to a call for evidence on the National Security and Investment Act is largely appropriate to stakeholder concerns raised and demonstrates in its five areas of focus that it is willing to respond to live issues, say lawyers at Watson Farley.

  • New Legislation May Jeopardize The Future Of Data Protection

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    While U.K. officials argue that the recently enacted Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Act seeks to enhance national security and the pending Data Protection and Digital Information Bill aims to modernize data protection regulations, both give rise to concerns about achieving a balance between security needs and individual liberties, says Maria Moloney at PrivacyEngine.

  • 'Debanking' Complaints Highlight Need For Flexibility In AML

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    The House of Commons' Treasury Committee's concerns about bank account closures have highlighted certain counterproductive features of anti-money laundering laws, and the review offers the opportunity for a more flexible approach, says John Binns at BCL Solicitors.

  • Mitigating Incarceration's Impacts On Foreign Nationals

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    Sentencing arguments that highlighted the disparate impact incarceration would have on a British national recently sentenced for insider training by a New York district court, when compared to similarly situated U.S. citizens, provide an example of the advocacy needed to avoid or mitigate problems unique to noncitizen defendants, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.

  • How Sustainability Directive Will Contribute to EU Regulation

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    The EU Sustainability Directive, in potentially enhancing certain obligations and setting a new benchmark for environmental and human rights due diligence practices, is a significant piece of legislation that will likely support the broader legal framework of other laws in a developing legal puzzle, say Rebecca Chin and Silke Goldberg at HSF.

  • Experian Ruling Helps Cos. Navigate GDPR Transparency

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    In Information Commissioner v. Experian, the Upper Tribunal recently reaffirmed the lawfulness of the company's marketing practices, providing guidance that will assist organizations in complying with the GDPR’s transparency obligations, say lawyers at Jenner & Block.

  • Clarity Is Central Theme In FCA's Greenwashing Guidance

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    Recent Financial Conduct Authority guidance for complying with the U.K. regulator's anti-greenwashing rule sends an overarching message that sustainability claims must be clear, accurate and capable of being substantiated, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • What The EU Sustainability Directive Will Mean For Companies

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    The European Parliament’s recent approval of the landmark Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive provides welcome clarity for small and midsize enterprises regarding human rights and environmental due diligence expectations, forming part of a growing pressure on companies around the world to operate ethically and sustainably, say lawyers at Jenner & Block.

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