Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

  • November 28, 2024

    EU Closes Tax Investigations Into Amazon, Fiat, Starbucks

    The European Commission said Thursday that it is closing tax investigations into three multinational companies — Amazon, Fiat and Starbucks — following a series of high-profile court decisions.

  • November 28, 2024

    Lawyer Duped By Fraudulent Barrister Overturns Firm Closure

    A court has ordered the solicitors' regulator to end the closure of a law firm, concluding that it was unlikely that its manager knew that a "fraudulent impostor" was forging property titles and making false mortgage applications.

  • November 28, 2024

    BHP Exec Denies Mining Giant's Role In Brazil Dam Disaster

    The former chief financial officer of Australian miner BHP Billiton told the High Court on Thursday that it was a "separate entity" from Samarco — the company responsible for running a mine that caused Brazil's worst environmental disaster.

  • November 28, 2024

    UK Trial Of Bulgarians Accused Of Spying For Russia Begins

    Three Bulgarians "tasked to spy" for Russia gathered information on prominent targets before passing it along to a Russian agent, a prosecutor told the first day of a trial in London on Thursday.

  • November 28, 2024

    Former Finance Execs Must Pay £45M For Takeover Violations

    The financial troubles of three former executives of MWB Group, an investment firm that has collapsed, does not preclude them from owing £44.8 million ($56.8 million) in compensation for violating the U.K. takeover rules by deceiving shareholders, a court ruled on Thursday.

  • November 28, 2024

    Ex-HMRC Compliance Officer Helped Husband Launder £3M

    A former compliance officer with HM Revenue and Customs has been handed a suspended sentence for her role in a £3 million ($3.8 million) money laundering operation carried out by her husband, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

  • November 28, 2024

    SFO General Counsel Sara Lawson To Step Down Early 2025

    The Serious Fraud Office said on Thursday that its general counsel, Sara Lawson KC, is stepping down at the end of January after almost six years as the agency's most senior lawyer.

  • November 28, 2024

    FCA Reworks Plans To Name Firms Under Investigation

    The Financial Conduct Authority issued "significant" revisions to controversial proposals for publicizing investigations of wrongdoing on Thursday, including a move to give businesses more time to make justifications to the watchdog before being named.

  • November 27, 2024

    BlueCrest Disputes 'Disguised Salary' Claim In HMRC Case

    British-American hedge fund BlueCrest Capital Management LLP pushed back Wednesday against arguments from the U.K. tax authority that its portfolio managers are employees receiving a disguised salary.

  • November 27, 2024

    FCA Strengthens Whistleblowing Policy After Staff Complaints

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday that it has updated its internal whistleblowing policy in the wake of complaints from employees that it has failed to properly act on intelligence provided by informers.

  • November 27, 2024

    SFO Must Disclose Cost Of Botched Unaoil Probe

    The Serious Fraud Office must disclose the total cost of its controversial Unaoil investigation after a tribunal rejected the authority's argument that providing the details would hamper its ability to prosecute economic crime.

  • November 27, 2024

    LSB Needs Bigger Budget After Axiom Ince Probe Overspend

    The body that oversees the regulation of lawyers plans to increase its next annual budget by 11% as it admitted it had overspent in the current financial year because of higher-than-expected costs from its review of Axiom Ince.

  • November 27, 2024

    Dyson Fights To Keep Workers' Forced Labor Claim Out Of UK

    British appliance manufacturer Dyson fought on Wednesday to keep a forced labor case out of England, telling a London appeals court that claims that migrant workers were abused in Malaysian factories should be heard in the Asian country.

  • November 27, 2024

    FCA Fines Former Wizz Air Exec Over Share Trades

    The City watchdog said Wednesday it has fined a former executive at budget airline operator Wizz Air Holdings PLC over unallowed trading in the airline's shares worth more than £4 million ($5 million).

  • November 27, 2024

    UK Investors Denied Appeal In Barclays Dark Pool Claim

    A High Court Judge refused Wednesday to allow U.K. investors to challenge his decision striking out claims worth £330 million ($418 million) from securities fraud litigation alleging that Barclays dishonestly delayed publishing information about its dark pool trading system.

  • November 27, 2024

    Briton Fights South African Extradition In £36M Bribery Case

    A British businessman wanted in South Africa over an alleged £36 million ($46 million) government bribery scandal urged a London judge on Wednesday to hit the brakes on his extradition following recent findings that the request is unconstitutional.

  • November 27, 2024

    HSBC Loses Challenge To €32M Euribor Rigging Fine

    HSBC Holdings PLC has lost its challenge to a €31.7 million ($33.4 million) European Union fine for rigging Euribor, as a European court rejected on Wednesday the bank's argument that the penalty was imposed out of time.

  • November 27, 2024

    UK Court's National Security Decision Highlights M&A Risk

    A court decision that compelled LetterOne, a Russian-backed investment firm, to sell a broadband provider highlights the regulatory risk posed to corporate dealmakers by the government's far-reaching national security discretion, including the costly prospect that they might have to unwind concluded transactions.

  • November 26, 2024

    UK Gov't Urged To Hold Off On Changes To Inheritance Tax

    The British Labour government should hold off on inheritance tax changes for farmers, scheduled to take effect in April, that would make gifts to their heirs taxable if they occur within seven years of the giver's death, a U.K. economics think tank said.

  • November 26, 2024

    Prince Harry, Celebs Can Keep Daily Mail Burglary Allegations

    Prince Harry and Elton John saw their case against the Daily Mail's publishers get a boost on Tuesday, as a London court refused to toss claims that its journalists had hired investigators to carry out burglaries.

  • November 26, 2024

    'Incompetent' FCA Needs Gov't-Led Radical Reform, MPs Say

    The Financial Conduct Authority is not fit for purpose and requires government intervention for an extensive overhaul to address its "significant shortcomings" if it is to be an effective regulator, a group of cross-party MPs said in a report published Tuesday.

  • November 26, 2024

    Migrant Workers Want Dyson Forced Labor Claim Heard In UK

    A group of migrant workers urged the Court of Appeal on Tuesday to allow a compensation claim to be brought against British appliance maker Dyson in the U.K. over alleged labor abuses that took place at a Malaysian factory run by a former contractor.

  • November 26, 2024

    Brokerage Service Denies Helping $129M Forex Fraud

    A provider of brokerage services has denied giving credit for a company that carried out an alleged $129 million Ponzi scheme, saying in court filings that it had no knowledge of the fraud.

  • November 26, 2024

    UK Regulators Propose Relaxing Rules On Bankers' Pay

    The Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority jointly announced plans on Tuesday to ease restrictions on bonuses for senior bankers, with the aim to make the U.K. more competitive while ensuring accountability in risk management.

  • November 26, 2024

    OFSI Boss Promises Tougher Fines For Sanctions Breaches

    The head of the U.K. sanctions watchdog told MPs on Tuesday to expect more fines with tougher penalties for breaches of financial restrictions to be imposed on oligarchs in the coming months as he admitted that the crackdown has been slower than hoped. 

Expert Analysis

  • How AI Treaty Will Further Global Governance Cooperation

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    The EU’s recently adopted treaty on artificial intelligence represents a significant step toward global cooperation in AI governance in emphasizing human rights obligations, although additional guidance and clarity would be beneficial to minimize varied interpretations at national level, say lawyers at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • EU Investor-State Dispute Transparency Rules: Key Points

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    The European Union's recent vote to embrace greater transparency for investor-state arbitration will make managing newly public information more complex for all parties in a dispute — so it is important for stakeholders to understand the risks and opportunities involved, say Philip Hall, Tara Flores and Charles McKeon at Thorndon Partners.

  • How Regulation Of Tech Providers Is Breaking New Ground

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    The forthcoming EU regulation on digital operational resilience and the U.K. critical third-party regime, by expanding the direct application of financial services regulation to designated technology providers, represent a significant development that is not to be underestimated, say David Berman and Emily Lemaire at Covington.

  • Takeaways From EU's Initial Findings On Apple's App Store

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    A deep dive into the European Commission's recent preliminary findings that Apple's App Store rules are in breach of the Digital Markets Act reveal that enforcement of the EU's Big Tech law might go beyond the literal text of the regulation and more toward the spirit of compliance, say William Dolan and Pratik Agarwal at Rule Garza.

  • Why Trustees Should Take Note Of Charity Code Consultation

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    The Charity Governance Code Steering Group's recently launched governance code consultation is unlikely to result in a radical overhaul, but with the bigger issue being awareness and application by smaller underresourced charities, trustees should engage with the process to help shape the next iteration of this valuable tool, says Chris Priestley at Withers.

  • What EU Net-Zero Act Will Mean For Tech Manufacturers

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    Martin Weitenberg at Eversheds Sutherland discusses the European Council’s recently adopted Net-Zero Industry Act and provides an overview of its main elements relevant for net-zero technology manufacturers, including benchmarks, enhanced permitting procedures and the creation of new institutions.

  • Complying With EU Commission's Joint Purchasing Rules

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    One year after the European Commission released its revised guidelines on horizontal cooperation agreements, attorneys at Crowell & Moring reflect on the various forms such agreements can take, and how parties can avoid structuring arrangements that run afoul of competition law.

  • Tips For Implementing EU Sustainability Reporting Guidance

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    Lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell discuss the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group’s recently published guidance on double materiality assessments and offer takeaways on achieving a sustainability directive-compliant process that could enhance clarity and consistency among multinational stakeholders.

  • How CMA's AI Strategic Update Addresses Industry Risks

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    The Competition and Markets Authority’s recent artificial intelligence strategic update, setting out the regulator’s understanding of AI risks and how it intends to address them, is indicative of its focus on incumbent technology organizations, although future political developments in the U.K. may also shape the CMA's approach, say Christopher Foo and Carol Slattery at Ropes & Gray.

  • Labour's 'Fresh Approach' To Tackling Financial Crime

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    Given newly elected Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s background as a criminal defense lawyer and director of public prosecutions, an administration with strong views on financial crime can be expected, and revenue raising and proceeds of crime recovery are likely to be at the forefront, says Matthew Cowie at Rahman Ravelli.

  • What UK Digital Markets Act Will Mean For Competition Law

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    The new Digital Markets Act’s reforms will strengthen the Competition and Markets Authority's investigatory and enforcement powers across its full remit of merger control and antitrust investigations, representing a seismic shift in the U.K. competition and consumer law landscape, say lawyers at Travers Smith.

  • Examining The EU Sanctions Directive Approach To Breaches

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    In criminalizing sanctions violations and harmonizing the rules on breaches, a new European Union directive will bring significant change and likely increase enforcement risks across the EU, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.

  • What New UK Labour Gov't Is Planning For Financial Services

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    Following the Labour Party’s U.K. election win on July 4, the new government has already announced its key missions for economic growth, green investment and tax reform, so affected Financial Conduct Authority-regulated entities should be prepared for change and on the lookout for details, says Rachael Healey at RPC.

  • Companies Trading In The EU Should Heed Mondelēz Ruling

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    The European Commission’s recent €337.5 million fine of Mondelēz is the latest decision targeting restrictions on EU cross-border trade, and serves as a warning to companies active in the region to check their contracts and practices for illegal restraints, and to perform audits to ensure compliance, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

  • Why Reperforming Loan Securitization In UK And EU May Rise

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    The recently published new U.K. securitization rules will largely bring the U.K.’s nonperforming loan regime in line with the European Union, and together with the success of EU and U.K. banks in reducing loan ratios, reperforming securitizations may feature more prominently in relevant markets going forward, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.

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