Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

  • November 20, 2025

    SFO Launches Probe Into $28M 'Crypto Hedge Fund'

    The Serious Fraud Office arrested two men and opened a criminal investigation on Thursday into the collapse of a $28 million cryptocurrency scheme over suspected fraud after plans to create a "crypto hedge fund" failed. 

  • November 19, 2025

    Trademark Infringements Dominate £500M UK Counterfeit Haul

    Britain's border control agency seized counterfeit goods worth more than £500 million ($654 million) between 2021 and 2023, with trademark infringement continuing as the most common intellectual property violation, a government report has revealed.

  • November 19, 2025

    FCA Says 3 Arrested In Suspected Fraudulent Debt Probe

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday that three individuals have been arrested as it investigates suspected "unauthorized debt activity" that it believes targeted people facing repossession proceedings.

  • November 19, 2025

    Russian Tech Co. Hit With Sanctions Over Ransomware Links

    The U.S., U.K. and Australia on Wednesday announced coordinated sanctions on Russia-based Media Land LLC and employees of the so-called bulletproof hosting service over allegations that the business has acted as a key enabler for ransomware attacks.

  • November 19, 2025

    WH Smith CEO Quits Over North America Accounting Error

    WH Smith PLC's chief executive stepped down with immediate effect on Wednesday, after an independent review by Deloitte LLP found that the company's North American division made an accounting blunder that overstated profits by as much as £50 million ($65.4 million).

  • November 19, 2025

    Lloyds Trims Arena TV Liquidators' £1.3B Fraud Case

    Lloyds Bank PLC convinced a London court on Wednesday to ax a chunk of the £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) in claims that accused the lender of failing to spot an alleged fraud by directors at a broadcast equipment company.

  • November 18, 2025

    Employers Bracing For Impact As EU AI Act Deadline Nears

    Less than a fifth of employers feel very prepared to comply with European Union artificial intelligence regulations despite widespread awareness of how upcoming rule changes will affect workers, according to a report published Wednesday.

  • November 18, 2025

    BHP Dam Case Highlights Legal Risk For UK Businesses

    A landmark ruling holding mining giant BHP liable for a catastrophic dam collapse in Brazil signals the English courts' growing readiness to hold U.K.-based multinationals to account for harm overseas.

  • November 18, 2025

    SFO To Move Headquarters To Canary Wharf In 2026

    The U.K.'s white-collar crime agency said on Tuesday that it will move its headquarters to Canary Wharf in 2026 as it stressed that the new location in east London will help it meet the challenges of investigating serious fraud and corruption.

  • November 18, 2025

    Mike Lynch's Estate Seeks To Challenge HP Fraud Judgment

    Mike Lynch's estate asked a London court on Tuesday for permission to appeal against a judgment that found he had defrauded Hewlett Packard Enterprise, attacking a ruling that an entity set up to buy the technology entrepreneur's company was misled.

  • November 18, 2025

    Ex-Mishcon Client's Contempt Of Court Bid Challenged

    A London judge challenged a former client of Mishcon de Reya LLP who alleges that the firm's lawyers gave false statements to court, telling her Tuesday that she has put forward no simple or straightforward charge of contempt of court.

  • November 18, 2025

    Seismic Tech Co. Güralp Says SFO Missed DPA's Deadline

    A seismic technology company urged London judges on Tuesday to rule that it had not breached its corporate bribery settlement agreement with the Serious Fraud Office, arguing that the agency had missed its deadline.

  • November 18, 2025

    EU Targets Financial Cyber Risks With New IT Provider Rules

    The three financial watchdogs of the European Union named on Tuesday the designated third-party providers of critical information and communication technology for finance companies, which it will regulate directly.

  • November 18, 2025

    Kuwaiti Pension Chief's Heirs Fight To Avoid $1B Fraud Debt

    The children of a former Kuwaiti pensions fund director told an appeals court on Tuesday that they should not be held liable for their now-dead father's alleged $1 billion fraud debt, arguing that successors outside the English jurisdiction cannot be forced to pay.

  • November 17, 2025

    SAP Proposes Fixes Amid EU Antitrust Probe

    German software giant SAP has offered a set of commitments to European enforcers who raised concerns over maintenance and support services for the company's business management software.

  • November 17, 2025

    Solicitor Faces Tribunal Over Allegations Of Misleading Client

    A criminal defense solicitor fought allegations in a London disciplinary tribunal Monday that he had instructed a client to falsely deny allegations of corruption and to fabricate a narrative for their high-profile trial.

  • November 17, 2025

    TotalEnergies, Partners Fined €187M For Fuel Depot Collusion

    A French competition regulator revealed Monday that it has imposed fines totaling almost €187.5 million ($217.4 million) against the owners of Corsican oil depots, including fuel giant TotalEnergies, for colluding to reserve the use of the only two fuel stores on the Mediterranean island for themselves.

  • November 17, 2025

    Trafigura Accuses Gupta Of $600M Sham Nickel Trade At Trial

    Trading company Trafigura told the High Court on Monday that Prateek Gupta and his companies defrauded it out of $600 million in a sham nickel trade, opening a long-awaited trial over Trafigura's purchase of purported nickel shipments that turned out to be "worthless."

  • November 17, 2025

    Fugitive Can't Appeal Extradition For 5-Year Fraud Sentence

    A fugitive sentenced to more than five years in prison for fraud can't appeal his extradition to Italy, as a court ruled Monday that the decision correctly weighed up the public interest in him serving time against the difficulties his family would face.

  • November 17, 2025

    Fraudulent Insurance Claims Continue To Top £1B A Year

    Fraudulent claims in the U.K. general insurance sector rose again in 2024, with those linked to motor cover driving much of the increase, the Association of British Insurers warned on Monday.

  • November 17, 2025

    Hacker Ordered To Forfeit £4M In Crypto After Twitter Heist

    A London court has ordered an aspiring web developer to pay back £4.1 million ($5.4 million) worth of cryptocurrency after he was convicted of hacking high-profile Twitter accounts and money laundering in the U.S.

  • November 14, 2025

    Italian Police Seize Assets In €260M VAT Fraud Probe

    Italian financial police seized corporate assets Friday as part of an investigation into a criminal ring suspected of evading €260 million ($302 million) in value-added taxes on fuel, European Union authorities said.

  • November 14, 2025

    Trafigura's $600M Fraud Trial To Test Metals-Trading Practices

    Metals magnate Prateek Gupta will face trial in London on Nov. 17 over allegations that he and his companies perpetrated "systematic fraud" against Trafigura, with the trading company alleging that Gupta cheated it out of $600 million in a nickel fraud scheme.

  • November 14, 2025

    Billionaire Used Spy To Extract Privileged Info From Solicitor

    Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego used a private intelligence agent to dupe a law firm partner into divulging privileged and confidential information about a man Salinas claims defrauded him out of more than $415 million, a London court has found.

  • November 14, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen Freeths face a professional negligence claim from a Scottish car dealership, Rolls-Royce sue logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel, and a team of Oberon Investments Group investment managers sued by their former employer.  

Expert Analysis

  • How Top Court Ruling Limits Scope Of Motor Finance Claims

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    The U.K. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in a landmark case concerning car finance commissions clarifies when and how a dealership’s fiduciary duties arise, considerably narrowing that path for mass consumer litigation and highlighting how an upcoming Financial Conduct Authority redress scheme will seek to balance consumer, lender and market interests, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • FCA Misconduct Guide Will Expand Firms' Duty To Investigate

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    The Financial Conduct Authority's recent proposals on workplace nonfinancial misconduct will place a greater onus on compliance and investigations teams, clarifying that the question to ascertain is whether the behavior is justifiable and proportionate, say lawyers at Ashurst.

  • Lessons From Landmark UK Supreme Court Libor Ruling

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    The U.K. Supreme Court’s recent quashing of former traders Hayes and Palombo’s interest rate rigging convictions on the ground of jury misdirection raises concerns about failings in the criminal appeal process, and whether encouraging institutions to accept regulatory settlements can create conditions for miscarriages of justice, says Ellen Gallagher at Vardags.

  • The Int'l Compliance View: Everything Everywhere All At Once

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    Changes to the enforcement landscape in the U.S. and abroad shift the risks and incentives for global compliance programs, creating a race against the clock for companies to deploy investigative resources across worldwide operations, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Why Leveson Review Is Significant For UK Court System

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    Brian Leveson’s recent review into the U.K. criminal justice system calls for judge-only trials in serious and complex fraud cases, a controversial recommendation that is sparking debate over the future of jury trials, says Louise Hodges at Kingsley Napley.

  • 23andMe Fine Signals ICO's New GDPR Enforcement Focus

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    Many of the cybersecurity failures identified by the Information Commissioner’s Office in its investigation of 23andMe, recently resulting in a £2.3 million fine, were basic lapses, but the ICO's focus on several new U.K. General Data Protection Regulation considerations will likely carry into the future, say lawyers at Womble Bond.

  • What New UK Stub Equity Rules Will Mean For PE Bidders

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    The U.K. Takeover Panel’s recent guide to making stub equity offers, for the first time formally harmonizing the approach to be taken, should be helpful for both private equity bidders and practitioners, and not unduly restrictive, say lawyers at Davis Polk.

  • UK FDI Enforcement Continues, But Changes Are On The Way

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    With the U.K. government’s recent foreign direct investment investigation into Maple Armor’s increased shareholding in Fireblitz demonstrating the National Security and Investment Act’s wide scope, an announcement this month that certain transactions will no longer require mandatory notification represents a welcome simplification, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

  • What Cos. Must Note From EU's Delivery Hero-Glovo Ruling

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    The European Commission’s recent landmark decision in Delivery Hero-Glovo, sanctioning companies for the first time over a stand-alone no-poach cartel agreement, underscores the potential antitrust risks of horizontal cross-ownership between competitors, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • What To Expect As FCA Preps To Launch AI Testing Service

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s forthcoming artificial intelligence live testing service will provide participants with access to appropriate regulatory expertise, but to gauge the tool’s potential utility, it is important to understand how it fits in with what the regulator is already doing, says Omar Salem at Fox Williams.

  • New Interpol Silver Notice Could Be Tool For Justice Or Abuse

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    Interpol has issued dozens of Silver Notices to trace and recover assets linked to criminal activity since January, and though the tool may disrupt organized crime and terrorist financing, attorneys must protect against the potential for corrupt misuse, say attorneys at Clark Hill and Arktouros.

  • Weighing PE Transaction Risks As EU AI Act Rolls Out

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    As the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act becomes effective in stages, legal practitioners involved in private equity deals should consider the transactional risks resulting from this measure, including penalties, extraterritorial reach and target-firm applicability, say lawyers at Covington.

  • Preparing For Literacy Compliance Under EU AI Act

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    The European Commission's recent Q&A on artificial intelligence literacy is designed to assist with European Union AI Act compliance, but since the law does not require a one-size-fits-all approach, organizations need to consider specific use cases and focus on implementing staff training, says Edward Machin at Ropes & Gray.

  • EU Banking Watchdog Regulations Herald New AML Era

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    The European Banking Authority’s forthcoming anti-money laundering package will set a framework for compliance across the European Union by redefining the rules of engagement between financial institutions and supervisors, setting a new standard for transparency and accountability, say lawyers at A&O Shearman.

  • UK-EU Competition Agreement Signals Rebuilding Of Ties

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    The European Commission’s recent adoption of proposals to sign the European Union-U.K. competition agreement is a welcome first step toward better policy and enforcement convergence, providing a clearer legal framework for businesses to manage regulatory risk, says Charles Whiddington at Steptoe.

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