Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

  • June 24, 2026

    UK Auditing Watchdog Eases Rules To Trim Reports

    The Financial Reporting Council said on Wednesday that it had revised auditing standards to shorten auditors' reports after concerns that they had become unnecessarily lengthy in recent years.

  • June 24, 2026

    UK Insurers Must Tighten Financial Crime Controls, FCA Says

    The finance watchdog has urged insurers to strengthen key financial crime controls after it found weaknesses across the sector, including in risk assessments, customer due diligence, transaction monitoring and oversight of outsourced activities.

  • June 23, 2026

    KC Fights Disbarment Over Oxford Medical Degree Lie

    A former King's Counsel barrister argued Tuesday that a disciplinary tribunal was wrong to disbar him for falsely claiming he studied at the University of Oxford in an application for tenancy, telling a London court that the sanction was disproportionately severe.

  • June 23, 2026

    UK Weighs Extending VAT Accounting To Online Marketplaces

    Online marketplaces would be tasked with accounting for value-added tax on the sales they facilitate for U.K. businesses selling domestic goods to U.K. consumers rather than the underlying business itself, according to a set of reforms proposed Tuesday by the government.

  • June 23, 2026

    Drugmakers Say CAT Used Wrong Test In £100M Fines Row

    A group of pharmaceutical companies urged the Court of Appeal Tuesday to partly reverse £100 million ($132 million) in sanctions over an alleged price-fixing cartel, arguing that a tribunal made factual and legal mistakes when upholding the fines. 

  • June 23, 2026

    The Flaws That Sank The NCA's Alison-Madueke Bribery Case

    The acquittal at trial of Diezani Alison-Madueke on corruption charges has raised scrutiny of the ability of the U.K. to prosecute foreign nationals as the defense lawyers working on the case said law enforcement had failed to follow the evidence overseas.

  • June 23, 2026

    Gupta's Steel Biz Auditor Sanctioned Over 'Egregious' Failings

    The U.K. accounting watchdog said Tuesday that it has fined and banned a tiny accounting firm, finding "widespread deficiencies" in its audit work on the accounts of several companies in Sanjeev Gupta's metals empire.

  • June 23, 2026

    CPS Secures 1st Order Restricting E-File Docs In Entain Case

    A London judge has approved a request by the Crown Prosecution Service to waive new public access requirements for court documents in a claim against gambling group Entain, in the first decision to set out the criteria for a filing modification order.

  • June 23, 2026

    SFO Probes Failed Telecoms Firm Over Fraud Suspicions

    The Serious Fraud Office is investigating the sudden collapse of a once-prominent telecommunications company amid suspicions of fraud and money laundering in a joint probe with U.S. authorities.

  • June 23, 2026

    Ex-SNP Chief Murrell Gets 5 Years For Embezzling £400K

    Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party, was sentenced on Tuesday to five years and three months in prison for embezzling more than £400,000 ($529,000) from the party.

  • June 22, 2026

    ICO Says Evidence Shows Ex-Chief Sexually Harassed Staff

    The U.K. data protection watchdog said Friday it has uncovered evidence that its former privacy chief used highly sexualized language to harass a number of female colleagues, coming months after he stepped down from the role. 

  • June 22, 2026

    Mercedes Denies Motorists Suffered 'Dieselgate' Damages

    Mercedes-Benz has argued in defenses filed in the mammoth "Dieselgate" litigation that it is not liable to six sample motorists for allegedly putting "defeat devices" into their vehicles.

  • June 22, 2026

    SFO Beats Mining Execs' Legal Costs Bid Over Dropped Probe

    The Serious Fraud Office defeated a bid on Monday by two former London Mining executives to recover hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal costs after the agency abandoned its bribery case against them shortly before trial.

  • June 22, 2026

    Google Algorithms 'Devastated' Shopping Sites, Rivals Say

    Shopping comparison website Kelkoo told the U.K.'s competition court Monday that Google "devastated" its rivals by abusing its dominance, allowing its algorithms to demote competitors in search results and promote itself.

  • June 22, 2026

    Lawyers To Face 'Fit & Proper' Tests Under FCA's AML Regime

    Lawyers will face fresh "fit and proper" tests when the Financial Conduct Authority takes over control of anti-money laundering regulation from the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the government has confirmed.

  • June 22, 2026

    TfL Hackers Admit Carrying Out Cyberattack That Cost £39M

    Two men admitted on Monday to carrying out a cyberattack on Transport for London that plunged the network into chaos and cost the transportation authority £39 million ($52 million.)

  • June 22, 2026

    Treasury Updates High-Risk Money Laundering Countries List

    The Treasury has updated its list of countries at high risk for money laundering and terrorist financing, telling companies to enhance due diligence for transactions involving Iraq and Bosnia and Herzegovina while removing Algeria and Namibia from the list.

  • June 22, 2026

    Starmer's Resignation Opens Way For Burnham's PM Bid

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans on Monday to step down after losing the support of the Labour Party for him to stay on, clearing the way for former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to launch his bid for the top job.

  • June 19, 2026

    Law Firm Revives Bid To Ax Negligence Suit Over SOCA Case

    A London judge has dismissed an order requiring a law firm to pay £27,500 ($36,355), ruling that a new court should consider the firm's bid to put an end to a couple's claims of professional negligence in a wider case over drug trafficking allegations. 

  • June 19, 2026

    SFO To Take £491K More From Convicted Financial Adviser

    A fake financial adviser imprisoned more than a decade ago for swindling British expats in Indonesia must repay an additional £491,000 ($650,000) after investigators found new properties, luxury cars and several bank accounts, the Serious Fraud Office said Friday.

  • June 19, 2026

    FX Biz Beats Liability Ruling Over £35M Briefcase Cash Case

    A Singapore-based foreign exchange company won a bid on Friday to overturn a ruling that held it liable for nearly $2 million that disappeared during a cash-transfer operation involving £35 million ($46.3 million) in banknotes moved between the two countries.

  • June 19, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen Royal Mail Pension Plan companies sue Wates Construction after investing in a Cambridge development project, law firm Ronald Fletcher Baker launch proceedings against several former partners and the rival firm they moved to, Lansdowne Law, and energy group VAROPreem bring an intellectual property claim against North Sea producer Viaro Energy and its chief executive. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • June 19, 2026

    UK Inheritance Tax Revenue Growth Slows

    Inheritance tax receipts for April and May reached £1.4 billion ($1.8 billion) in a slight dip in tax revenue compared with the 2025 tax take, despite frozen tax thresholds, according to official data published Friday.

  • June 19, 2026

    Software Co. Sellers Deny Inflating Finances In Criteo Deal

    Investors in a communications software provider have hit back against a £7.5 million ($9.9 million) claim brought by BidSwitch, denying that they fraudulently inflated the financial position of the company in an attempt to persuade the internet advertising broker to buy it.

  • June 19, 2026

    Mex Group Faces $170M Claim Over 'Misused' Freezing Order

    A business executive and two financial services companies said Friday that they are seeking more than $170 million from Mex Group over alleged losses stemming from a worldwide freezing order that they say the trading group weaponized after its conspiracy case against them collapsed.

Expert Analysis

  • EU Act Establishes Data Sharing Rules, But Hurdles Remain

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    The recently effective European Union Data Act provisions establish harmonized rules to unlock the use of data generated by technology-embedded software, but leave practical challenges that organizations will need to navigate to comply with cross-border requirements, say lawyers at King & Spalding.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Arbitrator's Conviction Upheld

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    The Supreme Court of Spain recently upheld the criminal conviction of arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa for grave disobedience to judicial authority, rejecting the proposition that an arbitrator's independence can prevail over a court order retroactively disabling the very judicial act conferring arbitral jurisdiction, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • Reviewing EU Competition Policy 1 Year After Draghi's Report

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    Implementation of the Mario Draghi report’s proposals to revamp European Union competition policy is currently case-specific, making it less visible, and more needs to be done in the way of merger review and antitrust enforcement, say lawyers at Linklaters.

  • 5 Ways To Address The Legal Risks Of Employee AI Use

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    Employees’ use of unauthorized artificial intelligence tools has become a regulatory issue, and in-house legal counsel are best placed to close the gap between governance controls and innovation, mitigating the risk of organizations' exposure to noncompliance with European Union and U.K. data protection requirements, say lawyers at MoFo.

  • Opinion

    New US-UK Tech Deal Offers Opportunities To Boost Growth

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    The recently announced U.S. and U.K. Technology Prosperity Deal, encouraging businesses on both sides of the Atlantic to work together toward technological advance, will drive both investment in U.K. capabilities and returns for U.S. investors, says Peter Watts at Hogan Lovells.

  • What Draft AML Reforms Mean For UK Financial Sector

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    HM Treasury’s recently published draft regulations amending the U.K. Money Laundering Regulations, although not as material as expected, are a step toward a targeted risk-based approach, which the industry will welcome, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.

  • What Key EU Data Ruling Means For Cross-Border Transfers

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    The European Union Court of Justice’s recent judgment in European Data Protection Supervisor v. Single Resolution Board takes a recipient-specific approach concerning pseudonymized information, but financial services firms making international transfers should follow the draft EU Data Protection Board guidelines’ current stricter approach, says Nathalie Moreno at Kennedys Law.

  • EU-US Data Transfer Ruling Offers Reassurance To Cos.

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    The European Union General Court’s recent upholding of the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework in Latombe v. European Commission, although subject to appeal, provides companies with legal certainty for the first time by allowing the transfer of European Economic Area personal data without relying on alternative mechanisms, say lawyers at Wilson Sonsini.

  • Supreme Court Ruling Stands Firm On Trust Law Principles

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    The U.K. Supreme Court’s recent strict application of trust law in Stevens v. Hotel Portfolio may render it more difficult for lawyers in future cases to make arguments based on a holistic assessment of the facts, says Olivia Retter at Quinn Emanuel.

  • FCA's Woodford Fine Sends Warning To Fund Managers

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent decisions concerning Neil Woodford and the collapse of Woodford Investment Management mark an important moment for the U.K. investment industry, underscoring the regulator's focus on senior managers' personal accountability and the importance of putting investors’ interests at the heart of decision-making, say lawyers at Irwin Mitchell.

  • How Data Use Act Tightens Complaint Handling Procedures

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    Recently effective Data Use Act procedural requirements are coinciding with an artificial intelligence-driven increase in complaints from users about data subject access request responses, so organizations need to formalize their grievance process to prevent intervention by the Information Commissioner's Office and potential penalties, say lawyers at Womble Bond.

  • UK Supreme Court Dissent May Spark Sanctions Debate

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    While the recent U.K. Supreme Court's rejection of Eugene Shvidler’s appeal determined that sanctions decisions are primarily the government’s preserve, Justice Leggatt’s dissenting view that judges are better placed to assess proportionality will cause ripples and may mark a material shift in how future appeals are approached, say lawyers at Seladore.

  • What EBA Report Means For Non-EU Financial Firms

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    In a recent report concerning unregulated third country banks, the European Banking Authority decided not to extend a bank-to-bank exemption under the Capital Requirements Directive, raising a number of compliance issues for cross-border services, say lawyers at A&O Shearman.

  • HMRC's Automation Shift Likely To Alter Tax Adviser Role

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    HM Revenue & Customs’ recently released digital transformation road map promises greater efficiency and a modernized compliance regime, but the increased automation could also mean that the tax adviser role will become more proactive and more defensive, say lawyers at RPC.

  • What UK's New Prosecution Guidance Means For Compliance

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    Recent guidance from the U.K.'s Serious Fraud Office and Crown Prosecution Service, aligning their approach with the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, offers a timely prompt for corporate boards and legal teams to update their risk management frameworks, say lawyers at Signature Litigation.

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