UK’s Serious Fraud Office should cover ENRC’s £21m costs in corruption investigation, London’s High Court hears March 6, 2023 Kazakh mining company ENRC today said the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) should, alongside US law firm Dechert, cover extra costs it accrued because of ex-City lawyer Neil Gerrard’s decision to leak company information to the fraud investigator, leading to the launch of a 10-year probe into the former FTSE 100 firm. At the opening [...]
Starbucks faces pressure from German giant Allianz to overhaul approach to unions March 6, 2023 Starbucks today faced mounting pressure over its approach towards unions after German financial services giant Allianz vowed to back a push to force the coffee seller to overhaul its labour policies. Allianz GI today vowed to support an investor resolution calling on Starbucks to overhaul its approach to workers’ unions, following concerns about the coffee [...]
UK’s post-Brexit Solvency II reforms will increase risk of insurers collapsing… by just 0.1 percentage points March 6, 2023 The Bank of England today warned the UK’s planned Solvency II reforms could increase the risk of insurers collapsing… by just 0.1 percentage points. In a letter published today, the BoE’s governor Andrew Bailey said the UK government’s plan to overhaul the EU’s rules will increase the risk of life insurers collapsing by 20 per [...]
UK’s Serious Fraud Office to face Kazakh miner ENRC in court as decade-long legal fight continues March 6, 2023 The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) will today face Kazakhstani mining company ENRC in London’s High Court, as it continues its fight against the British government agency almost 10 years after it first launched an investigation into the former FTSE 100 firm. The SFO first launched its investigation into ENRC in April 2013 in relation [...]
EY to push ahead with mid-year promotions after KPMG calls off April round March 5, 2023 EY has said it is pushing ahead with this year’s round of mid-year promotions “as normal,” following reports that Big Four rival KPMG has called off its own round of April promotions. An EY spokesperson told City A.M. the “small number of mid-year promotions” it makes “every year” are “continuing as normal.” KPMG, by contrast, [...]
Lloyd’s of London member Beazley’s profits plummet 48 per cent as interest rate hikes dent portfolio March 2, 2023 Shares in specialist insurer Beazley today fell almost nine per cent after the firm told investors its profits had plummeted in 2022 due to a sharp drop in income from its investment portfolio. The insurer said its overall pre-tax profits fell 48 per cent in the year ending in December 2022 to $191m, as rising [...]
Losing momentum on Solvency II reforms would be a missed opportunity to transform Britain March 2, 2023 This is a once in a generation opportunity. That phrase might have become a bit of a cliché, especially in recent years, but the UK’s exit from the EU could ensure that Solvency II reforms really are one of those events. The proposed reforms represent a very significant opportunity to ensure more private sector capital [...]
Law Society takes government to court over solicitors’ legal aid fees March 1, 2023 The Law Society is seeking to force the UK government to give criminal solicitors a 15 per cent pay hike by taking the matter to court. The legal sector trade body is calling on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to give criminal solicitors a pay rise that matches the 15 per cent hike given to [...]
Glencore fined £582m by US court for bribing African and South American officials March 1, 2023 Glencore has been fined $700m (£582m) over the corruption scandal that saw the company’s execs pay more than $100m in bribes to officials in Africa and South America. A New York court has ordered Glencore to pay a $428.5m fine and forfeit a further $272m, after the commodities giant agreed a plea deal last May. [...]
Brexit-backer Arron Banks wins appeal in Carole Cadwalladr libel case February 28, 2023 Brexit-backer Arron Banks has won an appeal in his libel lawsuit against investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr. The UK’s Court of Appeal today said Cadwalladr should pay libel damages to Banks over claims she made in a 2019 Ted Talk concerning the Brexit campaigner’s purported links to Russia. Today’s decision saw the Court of Appeal overturn [...]