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ARTICLE · 21 MAY 2024

UK Criminal Enforcement Update – Spring 2024

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Recent weeks have seen several notable developments in the UK criminal enforcement landscape...

United KingdomCriminal Law
Richard Burger
Richard Burger
Stephen Pollard
Stephen Pollard
Lloyd Firth
Lloyd Firth
Imogen Makin
Imogen Makin
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Recent weeks have seen several notable developments in the UK criminal enforcement landscape:

  • The UK government (HMG) has committed to publishing "in early summer" its much-anticipated guidance on what in-scope corporates need to do to be able to avail themselves of the reasonable procedures defence to the new strict liability corporate offence of failing to prevent fraud.
  • The Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has also reiterated his desire for the agency to bring the first prosecution under the new offence.
  • The National Crime Agency (NCA), the UK's lead law enforcement agency for serious and organised crime, has been granted new statutory powers to direct the SFO to perform specified tasks where the matter involves serious or complex fraud, emphasizing the increased formal (and informal) collaboration between UK law enforcement agencies on fraud investigations.

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