Deferred Prosecution Agreements (“DPAs”), the Government’s newest weapon in the fight against corporate crime, become available to prosecutors from 24 February 2014. They will widen the scope for enforcement against companies and corporate entities involved in fraud, money laundering, bribery and corruption. On 14 February 2014, the Director of the Serious Fraud Office and the […]

Deferred Prosecution Agreements (“DPAs”), the Government’s newest weapon in the fight against corporate crime, become available to prosecutors from 24 February 2014. They will widen the scope for enforcement against companies and corporate entities involved in fraud, money laundering, bribery and corruption. On 14 February 2014, the Director of the Serious Fraud Office and the Director […]

Beginning in February 2014, the agreements may be used as a sentencing tool for corporate bribery, fraud, and other economic crimes. Under the UK Crime and Courts Act 2013, which received royal assent in April, deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) will be made available from February 2014 to the Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) […]

Corporate service providers supply the shell companies that are commonly used to launder illicit funds, including the proceeds of corruption. Effectively regulating these service providers is one important way to limit money laundering and therefore make corruption less profitable. Governments and international organisations must look beyond their current preoccupation with formal laws and regulations to […]

Jersey has its own legal system and is a separate jurisdiction from that of England and Wales. To combat bribery and corruption, it enacted the Corruption (Jersey) Law 2006 (the “Corruption Law”), which came into force in March 2007. However, the United Kingdom’s Bribery Act 2010 (the “Bribery Act”), which came into force on 1 […]

On 23 October Smith & Ouzman Limited, a UK based printing company, appeared in court on charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office (“SFO“). The charges relate to allegations of agreeing to make payments totalling nearly half a million pounds, contrary to section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906. It is alleged that […]

Transparency International’s 2013 Global Corruption Survey paints a worrying picture of corruption and bribery in the UK Last week’s publication of Transparency International’s 2013 Global Corruption Barometers [ http://www.transparency.org/gcb2013 ]parked a number of headlines in the UK press and no doubt also caused a number of raised eyebrows and furrowed brows. Whilst Transparency International surveyed […]

The Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has announced that four people had been convicted at the Hong Kong Eastern Magistracy of accepting or offering over HK$323,000 in illegal commissions in relation to trading in securities. Two of the defendants, Mr Chi-cheung Chan and Mr Wing-ho Tang were formerly employees and licensed representatives of […]