The publication of the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts in June 2025 marks a significant attempt to reshape the structure, governance and workload of England and Wales' criminal justice system. The Review has clear...more
On 9 June 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published revised guidance for the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Much attention has been paid to the apparent “unpausing” of enforcement...more
The Serious Fraud Office’s evolving approach to corporate engagement took another step forward this month. On 12 June 2025, speaking at a London conference, the SFO’s Chief Investigator Michael Gallagher provided the...more
In this article, we look at the proposed Anti-Corruption Directive, its impact on companies incorporated outside the EU and how non-EU countries might respond if it is implemented, looking to Ukraine and the UK as case...more
6/18/2025
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Bribery ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Enforcement ,
EU Directive ,
Jurisdiction ,
Multinationals ,
Risk Management ,
UK Bribery Act ,
Ukraine
The UK Home Office has published an updated version of Transparency in Supply Chains (TISC), A Practical Guide which provides guidance on how organisations should “comply with the letter and spirit” of corporate reporting...more
On 24 April 2025, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) issued new guidance signalling a notable shift in its approach to corporate criminal enforcement. For the first time, the SFO has stated that if a company self-reports...more
4/25/2025
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Crimes ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fraud ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Self-Reporting ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
The United Kingdom (UK), France, and Switzerland announced on 20 March 2025 that they have jointly launched the International Anti-Corruption Prosecutorial Taskforce to combat complex international white-collar crime. The...more
4/3/2025
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Bribery ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
France ,
Money Laundering ,
Popular ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
Switzerland ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
As we welcome 2025, the year ahead promises to be a year of change. After more than 70 national elections in 2024, the dust hasn’t fully settled, not least in the United States, where President Trump has taken office for the...more
On 1 September 2025, the corporate criminal offence of ‘failure to prevent fraud’ (“the Offence”), created by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (“ECCTA”), will come into force. On 6 November 2024, the...more
On 27 June 2024, the Court of Appeal handed down judgment in World Uyghur Congress v National Crime Agency [2024] EWCA Civ 715. The challenge of a 2023 decision by the High Court was brought by World Uyghur Congress ("WUC")...more
On 18 April 2024, the SFO announced that it had launched its Strategy 2024-2029, setting out its direction, values, approach and goals over the next five years.
A bold, victims-centred approach The Strategy can be found...more
The Environment Agency has launched a new Economic Crime Unit to enhance its fight against financial crimes in the waste management sector. This move aims to bolster the agency's capabilities in conducting financial...more
On 13 February 2024, Nick Ephgrave gave his first public speech as Director of the Serious Fraud Office, to a packed room of white collar lawyers and press at the Royal United Services Institute. The new Director was bold and...more
A new and expansive regulatory regime to tackle global deforestation is being introduced in the EU by the Deforestation Regulation.
The Deforestation Regulation entered into force in June 2023 and will have far-reaching...more
It’s certainly true that the UK criminal authorities have been crying out for a shot in the arm in the form of legislative reform, but will changing the law really help the Serious Fraud Office ("SFO") achieve more corporate...more
Companies operating in the UK – whether incorporated in the UK or simply carrying on a business in the UK are entering into a period of significant change in the way corporate crime is going to be investigated and prosecuted....more
On 16 June 2023, the Government announced its proposed reforms to the “identification doctrine” for economic crime offences to be introduced in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill. The reform will apply only to...more
On 1 June 2023, the European Parliament adopted and put forward an amended version of the draft Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. It goes much further than the version proposed by the European Commission and...more
The corruption risks of the telecommunications sector are too often given cursory consideration as, historically, there has been a keener focus on the extractive and energy sectors. Those sectors are considered to have a much...more
In this alert, we provide a round-up of the latest developments in ESG for UK corporates. In this month’s ESG Market Alert, we cover: New UN guidance on how businesses should ensure respect for human rights in...more
The risk of businesses becoming involved with, and potentially complicit in, grave human rights abuses is naturally higher in the context of armed conflicts and other situations of widespread violence. The UN Development...more
The Law Commission, on 10 June 2022, published its long-awaited Options Paper on Corporate Criminal Liability, which detailed possible options for the reform of corporate criminal liability in England & Wales (the “Options...more
In this alert, we provide a round-up of the latest developments in ESG for UK corporates. In this month’s ESG Market Alert, we cover: The EU Commission’s proposal for a directive on ESG-related due diligence obligations for...more
The European Commission released on 23 February 2022 the much-awaited proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (the "Proposed Directive"). This text lays...more
Today’s world is increasingly divided between kleptocracies that benefit from corruption as well as financial crimes and governments committed to fighting those crimes. Despite aggressive anti-corruption enforcement in parts...more