Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

  • February 13, 2025

    Barclays Reveals FCA Probe Over Money Laundering Controls

    Barclays revealed in its annual report on Thursday that it is being probed by the Financial Conduct Authority over its compliance with anti-money laundering and financial crime regulations.

  • February 13, 2025

    Immigration Officer Loses Pay Bid After Calling Boss A Nazi

    An employment tribunal has declined to secure the pay of a former chief immigration officer who was sacked after likening his superior to top Nazi Heinrich Himmler, ruling that his whistleblowing allegations are unlikely to hold up.

  • February 13, 2025

    Alleged Russian Spy Says She Was Used By Lying Partner

    A woman on trial for allegedly spying for Russia didn't know she was working for the Kremlin because her ex-partner, who claimed he worked for Interpol and had cancer, lied to her "on a fundamental level," her lawyers told a London jury Thursday.

  • February 13, 2025

    Former SFO HR Boss Loses Claim He Was Forced Out

    A former head of human resources at the Serious Fraud Office has lost his case that he was forced to quit the white-collar crime agency because executives "deliberately and increasingly undermined" him and hired someone else to take over his duties.

  • February 13, 2025

    Shell's Negligence Caused Oil Pollution, Nigerian Villagers Say

    Thousands of Nigerian villagers urged the High Court on Thursday to find that Shell can be held liable for environmental damage that they say was a foreseeable consequence of the energy giant failing to stop pipeline sabotage and theft.

  • February 13, 2025

    Insider Dealing Suspect Denies Illegally Profiting From Trades

    A man appeared at a criminal court in London on Thursday to deny using inside information to profit from oil and gas stocks over a four-year period.

  • February 13, 2025

    FCA Files Criminal Charges Against Financial Adviser

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Thursday it has charged an independent financial adviser with multiple criminal offenses that resulted in more than £2.3 million ($2.9 million) in losses for clients.

  • February 13, 2025

    Radical Reform A Must To Save Courts, Ex-CPS Chief Says

    Radical reforms are required to clear the backlog of criminal cases in the U.K. that will push the economic crime crisis further down the queue if it is not tackled, a former chief crown prosecutor has told Law360.

  • February 13, 2025

    FRC Probes Former Finance Staff At Bankrupt Local Authority

    Two former accountants are under investigation for their work at a bankrupt local authority in England that has amassed debts of £2.4 billion ($3 billion), a corporate governance watchdog said Thursday.

  • February 12, 2025

    Keltbray Managers Found Guilty Of Taking £600K In Kickbacks

    Three managers of Keltbray Ltd. were convicted Thursday of receiving £600,000 ($747,000) in kickbacks from an agency worker boss in exchange for sub-contracting his staff, according to prosecutors.

  • February 12, 2025

    Employers Can't Rely On Offense After Free Speech Victory

    Employers can no longer depend on the potential upset caused by employees who express controversial beliefs as a reason to discipline them after the Court of Appeal endorsed a Christian worker's claim of discrimination Wednesday, lawyers warned.

  • February 12, 2025

    Russia Loses State Immunity Bid In $63B Yukos Case

    A London appeals court on Wednesday dismissed the Russian government's attempt to use state immunity to block investors from enforcing an over $63 billion arbitration award, saying the state should honor the award without engaging in "trench warfare."

  • February 12, 2025

    Ex-Oil Execs' Asset Freeze Axed After Beating $335M Fraud

    A London court has removed a worldwide asset freeze on two former top executives at oil trader Arcadia Group after 10 years following the defeat of a $335 million fraud claim that the men had diverted trading profits into their own pockets.

  • February 12, 2025

    Shell's Liability For Nigerian Oil Spills Set For UK Trial

    Thousands of Nigerian villagers will begin efforts on Thursday to convince the High Court that energy giant Shell can be held responsible for the environmental damage caused by repeated oil leaks and systemic pollution from its pipelines and infrastructure.

  • February 12, 2025

    EU Parliament Greenlights Changes To Digital VAT Rules

    The European Parliament approved a series of changes to the European Union's plans to reform the value-added tax rules of the economic bloc including fully digitalizing VAT reporting, making it harder to dodge the tax in EU jurisdictions, according to a statement Wednesday.

  • February 12, 2025

    Justices Rewrite Extradition Rules In Shock To DOJ's Reach

    The decision by Britain's highest court to block the extradition of a British trader has rewritten decades of precedent, although lawyers are divided on whether the findings will weaken the long reach of U.S. law or simply refocus it.

  • February 12, 2025

    Financial Ombudsman's Sudden Exit Draws MP Scrutiny

    A cross-party group of MPs is scrutinizing the sudden and unexplained resignation of the chief executive of Britain's Financial Ombudsman Service after failing to get answers from the body's board.

  • February 12, 2025

    Axiom Ince Execs' Fraud Trial Over Collapse Set For 2027

    Five former leaders of Axiom Ince are to stand trial in 2027 over allegations they committed fraud and covered up their wrongdoing during a regulatory probe into the law firm, which collapsed with a hole of more than £60 million ($74.4 million) in its client accounts.

  • February 12, 2025

    Arena Liquidators Challenge Lloyds' Directors' Authority Defense

    Arena Television's liquidators have dismissed Lloyds Bank's defense to allegations it processed payments linked to a £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) fraud, saying the bank's claim it was acting on the instructions of directors who were authorized to make the payments is "unsustainable."

  • February 12, 2025

    Close Brothers Sets Aside £165M For Car Finance Probe

    London merchant bank Close Brothers said Wednesday that it plans to set aside £165 million ($205 million) to cover potential costs stemming from a Financial Conduct Authority probe into motor finance commission agreements and a related appeal at the U.K.'s top court.

  • February 12, 2025

    UK Supreme Court Bars Trader's Extradition To The US

    Britain's highest court has barred the extradition of a British-Lebanese trader to the U.S. over insider dealing allegations, finding on Wednesday that the charges he faced for allegedly doling out lavish gifts in exchange for tips occurred in Britain.

  • February 11, 2025

    £5.5B Tax Evasion Could Be 'Tip Of Iceberg,' Watchdog Warns

    The £5.5 billion ($6.8 billion) annual cost of tax evasion drawn up by HM Revenue and Customs is probably "vastly underestimated" — and the authority has no plan to tackle the gap in the public purse, the government's spending watchdog warned Wednesday.

  • February 11, 2025

    Vacuum Or Trap? What Trump's FCPA Halt Means For SFO

    U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to stop enforcing bribery laws against American companies creates a potential vacuum for the Serious Fraud Office to fill, though lawyers caution that prosecuting U.S. companies could prove a political hazard for the U.K. enforcement agency.

  • February 11, 2025

    Met Office Process For Tackling Sexual Misconduct Upended

    A London court ruled Tuesday that the Met's process to pull clearance for police officers accused of sexual misconduct is unlawful, leaving the force in what it called "a hopeless position" to tackle unfit officers after Wayne Couzens' rape and murder conviction.

  • February 11, 2025

    BT Fends Off Customers' Bid To Revive £1.3B Class Action

    A group of BT landline customers have failed to revive a £1.3 billion ($2 billion) class action against the telecom giant, after a competition tribunal refused Tuesday to allow an appeal against the first substantive ruling deciding a U.K. collective proceedings order claim.

Expert Analysis

  • Unpacking The New Concept Of 'Trading Misfeasance'

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    In addition to granting one of the largest trading awards since the Insolvency Act was passed in 1986, the High Court recently introduced a novel claim for misfeasant trading in Wright v. Chappell, opening the door to liability for directors, even where insolvent liquidation or administration was not inevitable, say lawyers at Greenberg Traurig.

  • EU WhatsApp Deletion Fine Sends Clear Message

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    The recent European Commission fine of International Flavors & Fragrances — the first for the deletion of social media messages during a dawn raid — although halved as a result of IFF's cooperation, shows the commission's view on obstruction poses a real risk to companies under investigation, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

  • Key Takeaways From Proposed EU Anticorruption Directive

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    The European Commission's anticorruption proposal, on which the EU Council recently adopted a position, will substantially alter the landscape of corporate compliance and liability across the EU, so companies will need to undertake rigorous revisions of their compliance frameworks to align with the directive's demands, say lawyers at Linklaters.

  • Implications Of EU Network Directive For Data Center Owners

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    With the October implementation deadline of the EU’s new cybersecurity regime under the Network Systems Directive fast approaching, data center owners and operators need to consider compliance steps, and U.K. companies providing services in the EU should take note, say lawyers at Bird & Bird.

  • New EU Guidelines Provide Insights On Global AI Regulation

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    The European Data Protection Supervisor’s first guidelines on artificial intelligence only apply to governmental bodies, but together with the EU AI Act they demonstrate a strong and prescriptive policy, and offer a glimpse into what could be the next phase in world AI regulation, says Kevin Benedicto at Redgrave.

  • Boeing Plea Deal Is A Mixed Bag, Providing Lessons For Cos.

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    The plea deal for conspiracy to defraud regulators that Boeing has tentatively agreed to will, on the one hand, probably help the company avoid further reputational damage, but also demonstrates to companies that deferred prosecution agreements have real teeth, and that noncompliance with DPA terms can be costly, says Edmund Vickers at Red Lion Chambers.

  • Keeping Up With Carbon Capture Policy In The US And EU

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    Recent regulatory moves from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission in the carbon capture, sequestration and storage space are likely to further encourage the owners and operators of fossil fuel-fired power plants to make decisions on shutdowns or reconfiguration to meet the expanding requirements, say Inosi Nyatta and Silvia Brünjes at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • How AI Treaty Will Further Global Governance Cooperation

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    The EU’s recently adopted treaty on artificial intelligence represents a significant step toward global cooperation in AI governance in emphasizing human rights obligations, although additional guidance and clarity would be beneficial to minimize varied interpretations at national level, say lawyers at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • EU Investor-State Dispute Transparency Rules: Key Points

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    The European Union's recent vote to embrace greater transparency for investor-state arbitration will make managing newly public information more complex for all parties in a dispute — so it is important for stakeholders to understand the risks and opportunities involved, say Philip Hall, Tara Flores and Charles McKeon at Thorndon Partners.

  • How Regulation Of Tech Providers Is Breaking New Ground

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    The forthcoming EU regulation on digital operational resilience and the U.K. critical third-party regime, by expanding the direct application of financial services regulation to designated technology providers, represent a significant development that is not to be underestimated, say David Berman and Emily Lemaire at Covington.

  • Takeaways From EU's Initial Findings On Apple's App Store

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    A deep dive into the European Commission's recent preliminary findings that Apple's App Store rules are in breach of the Digital Markets Act reveal that enforcement of the EU's Big Tech law might go beyond the literal text of the regulation and more toward the spirit of compliance, say William Dolan and Pratik Agarwal at Rule Garza.

  • Why Trustees Should Take Note Of Charity Code Consultation

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    The Charity Governance Code Steering Group's recently launched governance code consultation is unlikely to result in a radical overhaul, but with the bigger issue being awareness and application by smaller underresourced charities, trustees should engage with the process to help shape the next iteration of this valuable tool, says Chris Priestley at Withers.

  • What EU Net-Zero Act Will Mean For Tech Manufacturers

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    Martin Weitenberg at Eversheds Sutherland discusses the European Council’s recently adopted Net-Zero Industry Act and provides an overview of its main elements relevant for net-zero technology manufacturers, including benchmarks, enhanced permitting procedures and the creation of new institutions.

  • Complying With EU Commission's Joint Purchasing Rules

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    One year after the European Commission released its revised guidelines on horizontal cooperation agreements, attorneys at Crowell & Moring reflect on the various forms such agreements can take, and how parties can avoid structuring arrangements that run afoul of competition law.

  • Tips For Implementing EU Sustainability Reporting Guidance

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    Lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell discuss the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group’s recently published guidance on double materiality assessments and offer takeaways on achieving a sustainability directive-compliant process that could enhance clarity and consistency among multinational stakeholders.

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