Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

  • April 19, 2024

    EU Firms Say Strict ESG Rules Risk Chasing Off Clients

    Large banks have warned the European Union's banking regulator that its proposed guidelines for managing sustainability risks are too demanding and could drive clients away to banks outside the bloc.

  • April 19, 2024

    UK Probes Suspected Charity Funding For Pro-Hamas Agency

    The Charity Commission said Friday it has opened an investigation into the possible misuse of funds raised by charities linked to the director of a pro-Hamas news outlet who is subject to government sanctions.

  • April 19, 2024

    Prince Harry Beats Tabloid's Bid To Push Back Privacy Trial

    Prince Harry and others suing the U.K. arm of Rupert Murdoch's media empire won their battle to avoid a preliminary trial on whether their claims were brought too late after a judge refused Friday to push the case back, ruling the main trial should go ahead as planned. 

  • April 18, 2024

    Ex-BigLaw Atty Can Stay Free During OneCoin Fraud Appeal

    A Manhattan federal judge Thursday granted a former Locke Lord LLP partner's motion for bail pending appeal of his 10-year prison sentence after he was found guilty of laundering around $400 million in proceeds from the global OneCoin cryptocurrency scam, saying he does not pose a flight risk given his medical conditions.

  • April 18, 2024

    Ex-Autonomy CEO Wanted Whistleblower Fired, Ex-GC Says

    Former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch thought a finance department whistleblower was "trying to destroy the company" and wanted him fired, the software company's former U.S. general counsel testified Thursday in a criminal fraud trial over claims Lynch conned HP into buying the British company at an inflated price of $11.7 billion.

  • April 18, 2024

    Insurers Face Appeal Over Refusal To Cover Bribery Loss

    A holding company took its fight for an insurance payout to the Court of Appeal on Thursday, urging justices to force its insurers to cover its claim for losses it sustained when its acquisition of a construction contractor went south due to bribery and corruption allegations.

  • April 18, 2024

    HMRC Opens Consultation On Payroll Tax In Freeports

    The U.K. tax authority is mulling changes to National Insurance, a payroll levy used to fund state pensions and healthcare, for employees working in special economic zones known as freeports.

  • April 18, 2024

    Womble Bond Told Post Office To Withhold Docs From Court

    Womble Bond Dickinson advised the Post Office to "suppress" key documents from the court "for as long as possible" in a case brought by wrongly prosecuted sub-postmasters, according to correspondence disclosed at the inquiry into the scandal Thursday.

  • April 18, 2024

    Head Of Chambers Accused Of Bullying By Expelled Barrister

    A barrister told an employment tribunal on Thursday that the head of an English criminal chambers put him through "absolute hell" by bullying him and trying to end his career before expelling him from the chambers.

  • April 18, 2024

    Pensions Ombudsman Probing 6 Multimillion Pound Scams

    The pensions arbitration body has told MPs that it is currently investigating 425 possible retirement scams, including six that are similar in scope to the Norton Motorcycle scandal. 

  • April 18, 2024

    SFO Vows To Be 'Bold And Pragmatic' Under New Strategy

    The Serious Fraud Office unveiled on Thursday its new five-year strategy focused on fraud prevention, the use of AI and greater use of covert intelligence, reflecting director Nick Ephgrave's intention for the agency to be more proactive and pragmatic.

  • April 17, 2024

    Ex-JPMorgan Analyst Liked 'Winding Up' Autonomy CEO, Jury Told

    A former JPMorgan stock analyst testifying Wednesday in the criminal fraud trial of former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch said that he "took pleasure in winding up Lynch" and once even used a Hitler analogy to describe his performance, but said his critical coverage was never personal.

  • April 17, 2024

    Raid On Broker In Cum-Ex Fraud Case Was Lawful, Court Says

    A raid on the London office of commodity brokerage MCML Ltd. following a request from Danish prosecutors investigating an alleged £56 million ($70 million) tax fraud was lawful, a London court ruled Wednesday.

  • April 17, 2024

    Merchants Bring Modified Bid For Swipe Fee Class Actions

    A group of merchants urged Britain's competition tribunal on Wednesday to approve proposed class actions accusing Visa and Mastercard of unfairly imposing interchange fees on retailers for several years, arguing they had sufficiently addressed concerns that led to their initial proposals being rejected.

  • April 17, 2024

    Gazprom Unit Fights Ruling Blocking Russian UniCredit Claim

    A Gazprom joint venture told the U.K. Supreme Court on Wednesday that appeal judges in England did not have jurisdiction to grant an anti-suit injunction blocking its €450 million ($480 million) claim in Russia against UniCredit Bank.

  • April 17, 2024

    Post Office Boss 'Exonerated' Over Bullying Allegations

    The U.K. Post Office said Wednesday that an investigation has "exonerated" its chief executive of bullying allegations after the probe emerged during a U.K. parliamentary hearing.

  • April 17, 2024

    Hugh Grant Settles Privacy Suit Against UK Tabloid Publisher

    Actor Hugh Grant has settled his claim against the U.K. arm of Rupert Murdoch's media empire over alleged invasions of his privacy, according to London court filings made public Wednesday.

  • April 16, 2024

    Autonomy CEO Pressured JPMorgan Over Analyst, Jury Told

    An ex-JPMorgan stock analyst testifying Tuesday in the criminal fraud trial of former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch told jurors that the software company founder responded with hostility when his research reports questioned its growth, and that Lynch offered JPMorgan millions in business if he were taken off the Autonomy beat.

  • April 16, 2024

    Cigna Denies Insurer's Claim For PPI Complaints Indemnity

    Cigna hit back at insurer PA (GI) Ltd.'s claim to recover its costs of dealing with missold payment protection insurance for healthcare cover, saying that it is not entitled to any compensation.

  • April 16, 2024

    Hill Dickinson Bolsters Disputes Team With New Partner

    Hill Dickinson LLP has snapped up a partner from Teacher Stern LLP to join its commercial litigation team, bringing a wealth of dispute resolution and crisis management experience to the table.

  • April 16, 2024

    Legal Experts Uneasy About Post Office Convictions Law

    Legal experts warned a parliamentary committee Tuesday that government plans to introduce legislation to quash the convictions of hundreds of Post Office branch managers could unintentionally set a precedent for other miscarriages of justice. 

  • April 16, 2024

    Ex-Post Office Boss Says Lawyers Ignored Prosecution Risks

    The Post Office's former chief executive said Tuesday that he was "surprised" that in-house lawyers who prosecuted sub-postmasters based on faulty IT data ignored the risk of failing to disclose certain key facts in court.

  • April 16, 2024

    EU Watchdogs Ally With ECB To Help Firms' Data Reporting

    European Union finance watchdogs said Tuesday they have set up an alliance with Europe's central bank to collaborate more efficiently on regulatory data transfers, reducing reporting costs for financial firms.

  • April 15, 2024

    Ex-Autonomy Exec Testifies To Handshake Deals, Backdating

    Autonomy's former U.S. head of sales testified for the prosecution Monday in the criminal fraud trial of founder Michael Lynch, saying he boosted sales figures via "quid pro quo" handshake deals with customers, created pretextual emails to cover his tracks and even backdated a deal to meet revenue targets.

  • April 15, 2024

    Real Estate Plans Were £50M Ponzi Scheme, Investors Say

    Over 400 real estate investors said two British men ran a U.K.-wide fraud akin to a Ponzi scheme at a London trial of their £50 million ($62.3 million) claim Monday, arguing the men had made false promises about the returns the investments would generate.

Expert Analysis

  • Assessing The FCA Data Study's Response To User Concerns

    Author Photo

    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published report on the supply of wholesale financial data differs from others in its exceptional breadth and analysis of an enormous volume of information, but in its reluctance to address market power or pricing directly, the regulator’s approach is still cautious, say Emma Radcliffe and Greg Dowell at Macfarlanes.

  • Uber Payout Offers Employer Lessons On Mitigating Bias

    Author Photo

    Uber Eats' recent payout to a driver over allegations that the company's facial recognition software was discriminatory sheds light on bias in AI, and offers guidance for employers on how to avoid harming employees through the use of such technology, says Rachel Rigg at Fieldfisher.

  • Apple Ruling Offers Morsel Of Certainty On Litigation Funding

    Author Photo

    An English court's recent decision in Gutmann v. Apple, finding that a litigation funder could be paid via a damages award, offers a piece of guidance on the permissibility of such agreement terms amid the ongoing uncertainty around funded group litigation in the U.K., says Mohsin Patel at Factor Risk Management.

  • Cum-Ex Prosecutions Storm Shows No Sign Of Abating

    Author Photo

    The ongoing trial of Sanjay Shah in Denmark is a clear indicator that efforts remain focused on holding to account the alleged architects and beneficiaries of cum-ex trading, and with these prosecutions making their way across Europe, it is a more turbulent time now than ever, says Niall Hearty at Rahman Ravelli.

  • Traversing The Web Of Nonjudicial Grievance Mechanisms

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at Covington provide an overview of how companies can best align their environmental and human rights compliance with "hard-law" requirements like the EU's recently approved Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive while also navigating the complex global network of existing nonjudicial grievance mechanisms.

  • Opinion

    FCA Greenwashing Rules Need To Be Stronger To Be Effective

    Author Photo

    The Financial Conduct Authority's forthcoming anti-greenwashing measures, aimed at ensuring the veracity of regulated entities’ statements about sustainability credentials, need external scrutiny and an effective definition of "corporate social responsibility" to give them bite, says Jingchen Zhao at Nottingham Trent University.

  • Companies House False Filings Raise Issues Of Integrity

    Author Photo

    A recent spate of unauthorized company filings with Companies House raises specific concerns for secured lenders, but also highlights the potential for false filings to be used to facilitate fraudulent schemes, says Daniel Sullivan at Charles Russell.

  • Gov't Probe Highlights Computer-Based Evidence Issues

    Author Photo

    A recently launched U.K. Home Office probe, following the alleged use of faulty data in criminal cases, illuminates the need for scrutiny on the presumed reliability of evidence from computer-based systems, says Jessica Sobey at Stokoe Partnership.

  • UK Courts Continue To Struggle With Crypto-Asset Cases

    Author Photo

    Although the common law has proved capable of applying established principles to crypto-assets, recent cases highlight persistent challenges in identifying defendants, locating assets and determining jurisdiction, suggesting that any meaningful development will likely come from legislative or regulatory change, say Emily Saunderson and Sam Mitchell at Quadrant Chambers.

  • Why Computer Evidence Is Not Always Reliable In Court

    Author Photo

    Recent challenges to the admissibility of encrypted communication from the messaging tool EncroChat highlight the flawed presumption in the U.K. common law framework that computer evidence is always accurate, and why a nuanced assessment of such evidence is needed, say Sam De Silva and Josie Welland at CMS Legal.

  • Comparing The UK And EU Approaches To AI Regulation

    Author Photo

    While there are significant points of convergence between the recently published U.K. approach to artificial intelligence regulation and the EU AI Act, there is also notable divergence between them, and it appears that the U.K. will remain a less regulatory environment for AI in the foreseeable future, say lawyers at Steptoe.

  • Lessons On Using 3rd-Party Disclosure Orders In Fraud Cases

    Author Photo

    The expansion of the gateway for service out of jurisdiction regarding third-party information orders has proven to be an effective tool against fraud since it was introduced in 2022, and recent case law offers practical tips on what applicants should be aware of when submitting such orders, says Rosie Wild at Cooke Young.

  • Compliance Points To Know About The EU Digital Services Act

    Author Photo

    Online service providers in the European Union should prioritize understanding the scope of the recently implemented Digital Services Act, their specific legal obligations under it and the practical steps they must take to comply with the new law while obeying a raft of overlapping EU digital reforms, say Leo Moore and Róisín Culligan at William Fry.

  • Independent Regulator Could Chip Away At FIFA Autonomy

    Author Photo

    After the U.K.'s recent proposal for an independent football regulator, FIFA's commitment to safeguarding football association autonomy remains unwavering, despite a history of complexities arising from controversies in the bidding and hosting of major tournaments, say Yasin Patel at Church Court Chambers and Caitlin Haberlin-Chambers at SLAM Global.

  • A Look At The Latest EU Alternative Investment Regulation

    Author Photo

    Recent amendments to the EU Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive governing a range of alternative investment funds reflect a growing regulatory focus on nonbanking financial institutions, which expand credit to support economic growth but carry a commensurate risk, say Juliette Mills and Alix Prentice at Cadwalader.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!