We detail below some recent developments which track the transformation of the UK's fraud prevention landscape and what this means for companies.
WHISTLEBLOWER INCENTIVISATION: A TRANSFORMATIVE TOOL...more
The May 6, 2025 conclusion of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (the “FTA”) marks a defining moment in the economic and strategic partnership between India and the United Kingdom....more
On 24 April 2025, the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (“SFO”) launched new guidance for corporates on self-reporting, cooperation and deferred prosecution agreements (“DPAs”). Among other things, the new guidance states that, if a...more
4/29/2025
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Bribery ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Corruption ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Enforcement ,
New Guidance ,
Self-Reporting ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
The Serious Fraud Office (“SFO”) has released its Business Plan for 2025-26, outlining significant changes and strategic initiatives aimed at combatting serious fraud, bribery, and corruption. The Plan is framed by the SFO...more
Summary -
On 20 March 2025, the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (“SFO”), France’s Parquet National Financier (“PNF”) and the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (“OAG”) affirmed their shared commitment to tackling...more
On 26 February 2025, the European Commission (“Commission”) published its “Omnibus I” or “Sustainability Omnibus” package as part of its mission to improve the competitiveness of the European Union. The Omnibus Package...more
2/27/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
On 12 November 2024, a Dutch appeals court ruled that Shell does not have to reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, as previously ordered by the Hague District Court on 26 May 2021. Shell now has the...more
12/2/2024
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Duty of Care ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Human Rights ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
INTRODUCTION -
On 26 October 2023, the UK Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (the "Act") received royal assent and became law. The Act introduces a new strict liability corporate criminal offence of failure...more
11/12/2024
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Crimes ,
Corporate Entities ,
Corporate Governance ,
Criminal Liability ,
Failure to Prevent ,
Fraud ,
Investigations ,
Risk Assessment ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
BACKGROUND -
The incorporation of complex environmental and climate impacts from business operations and supply chains into human rights impact assessments and governance models is proving to be a major challenge for...more
Multinational companies are facing increased pressure to ensure that they have adequate ESG-related policies in place and (more importantly) that they are implementing those policies in practice within both their business and...more
Overview -
On 22 May 2024, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that he had requested permission from King Charles III to dissolve parliament and call a general election. The election will take place on 4 July 2024....more
6/20/2024
/ Competition ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Employee Rights ,
Energy Policy ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
General Elections ,
Housing Market ,
Immigration Reform ,
Infrastructure ,
Labor Reform ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Tax Reform ,
UK ,
Urban Planning & Development
The EU Taxonomy Regulation (the "Regulation") is a highly complex piece of legislation which sets out a classification framework in order to determine whether an economic activity carried out by an undertaking is...more
6/7/2024
/ Compliance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Human Rights ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Taxonomy
On 14 December 2023, following several rounds of inter-institutional negotiations, the European Council of the European Union (Council) and the European Parliament (Parliament) announced that a political agreement had been...more
The risk of an accusation of “greenwashing” is now an important concern for many companies. Greenwashing is an ill-defined concept but, nevertheless, is increasingly a source of litigation and regulatory scrutiny – with more...more
7/7/2023
/ Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Net Zero ,
Offsets ,
Reputation Management ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainability ,
UK
On 10 November 2022, the EU Parliament adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive ("CSRD"). The EU Council is expected to adopt the CSRD on 28 November 2022, after which it will be published in the Official...more
The UK Supreme Court has handed down its judgment in the case of Okpabi and others v Royal Dutch Shell Plc and another....more
3/8/2021
/ Business Litigation ,
Compliance Management Systems ,
Corruption ,
Duty of Care ,
Foreign Subsidiaries ,
Human Rights ,
Liability ,
Oil & Gas ,
Parent Corporation ,
Royal Dutch Petroleum ,
UK ,
UK Supreme Court ,
White Collar Crimes