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.
The Court of Appeal's recent decision that the Solicitors Regulation Authority must prove that Dentons' breach of money laundering legislation was "sufficiently serious" could complicate the watchdog's job of enforcing its rules, experts say.
The goal of the Serious Fraud Office to accelerate its investigations through intelligence-gathering and technology signals that the white-collar agency's new interim director will persist with plans put in place by predecessor Nick Ephgrave after his surprise exit earlier in April.
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A recent court ruling that expands legal advice privilege to cover some internal corporate communications gives companies greater scope for withholding sensitive material but is likely to prompt challenges over whether those documents meet the test for protection, lawyers say.
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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.
The Court of Appeal's recent decision that the Solicitors Regulation Authority must prove that Dentons' breach of money laundering legislation was "sufficiently serious" could complicate the watchdog's job of enforcing its rules, experts say.
The goal of the Serious Fraud Office to accelerate its investigations through intelligence-gathering and technology signals that the white-collar agency's new interim director will persist with plans put in place by predecessor Nick Ephgrave after his surprise exit earlier in April.
A recent court ruling that expands legal advice privilege to cover some internal corporate communications gives companies greater scope for withholding sensitive material but is likely to prompt challenges over whether those documents meet the test for protection, lawyers say.
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May 07, 2026
Two men were convicted on Thursday of spying for China through "shadow policing operations" that targeted Hong Kong dissidents living in Britain.
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May 07, 2026
A former owner of a law firm has been struck off the roll of solicitors after a tribunal found that he failed to comply with court orders and provided false information in applications for professional insurance cover.
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May 07, 2026
The U.K. government asked an appeals court on Thursday for permission to challenge a ruling quashing its decision to defer Portugal's extradition request for the founder of online cybercrime marketplace RaidForums in favor of that of the U.S.
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May 07, 2026
The police watchdog said Thursday that it is investigating a serving Metropolitan Police officer and four former officers for potential misconduct over their handling of sexual misconduct allegations against Mohamed al-Fayed, who died in 2023.
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May 07, 2026
Two barristers' groups criticized the government on Thursday for failing to deliver on planned investment in criminal legal aid, after it said that it would provide extra funding to alleviate a shortage of specialist advocates amid record court backlogs.
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May 06, 2026
A financier based in Greece defrauded Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego out of $450 million, misappropriating stock that the telecommunications baron used to secure a loan after lying about his bona fides, New York federal prosecutors have alleged.
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May 06, 2026
Liquidators for Saad Investments have launched a professional negligence claim against Morrison Foerster LLP and a senior barrister, who represented the defunct lender in a failed fight for compensation for shares worth $318 million.
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May 06, 2026
A former director of Everton Football Club said at a London court Wednesday that the U.K. government's decision to sanction him after the Russian invasion of Ukraine had been "utterly capricious."
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May 06, 2026
The Insolvency Service said Wednesday it has banned a woman from acting as a company director for four years after she allowed two of her businesses to aid a debt-avoidance scheme that bought distressed companies for £1 ($1.40).
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May 06, 2026
The Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday that it has launched an antitrust investigation into U.S. payment companies PayPal Holdings Inc., Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. linked to the funding and usage of PayPal's digital wallet.
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May 06, 2026
BHP cannot challenge findings that it is liable for a £36 billion ($49 billion) claim over a collapsed dam in Brazil, as a London appeals court ruled Wednesday that the trial judge had not unjustly failed to engage with the miner's case.
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May 06, 2026
The Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday that it is launching a review of the claims management market, following concerns that some companies and law firms are failing consumers.
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May 06, 2026
The Serious Fraud Office has ruled out prosecuting any individuals after resolving its long-running bribery probe into defense contractor Ultra Electronics, according to court documents published on Wednesday.
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May 05, 2026
Deutsche Bank AG and Pathward NA urged a New York federal court to dismiss a suit accusing them of improperly blacklisting a barter-based payment platform that the banks found was "transaction laundering" for companies selling gray-market pharmaceuticals, arguing that the suit's jurisdiction assertions are fatal to the claims.
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May 05, 2026
HSBC Holdings PLC said Tuesday that its expected credit losses for the first quarter of 2026 were $400 million higher compared to a year ago, driven by a fraud-related exposure tied to a U.K. financial sponsor in its corporate and institutional banking division.
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May 05, 2026
A London tribunal has ruled that a travel benefits company unfairly fired its financial crime manager amid concerns that he was not qualified to address new risks that arose with the emergence of artificial intelligence.
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May 05, 2026
The Financial Conduct Authority told a tribunal on Tuesday that banned hedge fund manager Crispin Odey created a "false reality" that he was the victim amid disciplinary proceedings linked to allegations of sexual misconduct against staff.
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May 05, 2026
Anthropic has launched a global services company with Blackstone, Goldman Sachs and Hellman & Friedman to help banks and other businesses, including in the U.K., invest in an artificial intelligence technology that Anthropic says has identified widespread cyber vulnerabilities.
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May 05, 2026
European Union member states agreed Tuesday to give anti-fraud bodies more direct access to value-added tax data to better combat VAT-related crime.
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May 01, 2026
A former business executive has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, following an order to extradite him to the U.S. over allegations that he and five other men helped wealthy American clients hide their income.
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May 01, 2026
An aircraft leasing company has settled its $40.5 million claim against insurer AXA for aircraft currently stranded in Russia since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
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May 01, 2026
The past week in London has seen a Swiss energy trader bring a Financial List claim against shipping benchmarking company Baltic Exchange, law firm Slater and Gordon sued by a former client, Slack and Salesforce hit Microsoft with an antitrust claim, and Stephen Fry bring a personal injury claim after he broke bones falling off a stage. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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May 01, 2026
British defense contractor Ultra Electronics agreed to pay £14.8 million ($20.2 million) on Friday to settle a bribery investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into suspected corrupt payments involving airport contracts in Algeria and Oman.
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May 01, 2026
Johnson Matthey defeated on Friday a claim that it acted fraudulently in the £325 million ($444 million) sale of one of its pharmaceutical businesses, despite a finding by a London court that the chemicals business had failed to disclose to the buyer significant details about the transaction.
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May 01, 2026
The Financial Conduct Authority said on Friday that it will mount a robust defense of its £7.5 billion ($10.2 billion) motor finance redress scheme against four legal challenges so far from lenders and a consumer group.