SFO publishes terms of deferred prosecution agreement with Tesco after reporting restrictions lifted January 23, 2019 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has published the full terms of the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) it agreed with Tesco following the 2014 accounting scandal. Reporting restrictions around the DPA – a voluntary agreement which allows companies to forego prosecution by fulfilling certain requirements – were lifted when former Tesco director Carl Rogberg was acquitted today. [...]
SFO scales back probe into Rolls-Royce January 7, 2019 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has dropped its investigation into a number of individuals associated with British engineering giant Rolls-Royce. Sky News originally reported that a number of people who were suspects in the SFO's investigation have been informed that they are no longer under investigation. Rolls-Royce entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the SFO [...]
Former Barclays bosses face trial over financial crisis-era deals with Qatar January 6, 2019 Four of Barclays' most senior bankers will appear in court tomorrow on charges relating to a rescue package the bank secured from Qatar at the height of the financial crisis. Former Barclays chief executive John Varley will stand trial alongside former senior executives Roger Jenkins, Tom Kalaris and Richard Boath over funding from Qatari investors that allowed the [...]
SFO director Lisa Osofsky wants agency to crack down on ‘corporate big boys’ December 18, 2018 The director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has said she wants the agency to be able to go after the "corporate big boys" who typically evade prosecution for economic crime and fraud. Ex-FBI lawyer turned SFO director Lisa Osofsky told the Justice Select Committee that senior individuals within large corporate organisations were not being [...]
Tesco fraud fiasco leaves new SFO boss with serious questions to answer December 6, 2018 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has had more ups and downs than Thomas Cook’s share price. When it scores a big success, like the near £500m deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with Rolls-Royce, it gets cheered to the rafters, while failures such as the Tchenguiz brothers debacle sees it dubbed the Serious Farce Office by critics. [...]
Serious Fraud Office trial against Tesco executives collapses December 6, 2018 The Serious Fraud Office’s case against two senior former Tesco’s executive has collapsed because of insufficient evidence. At Southwark Crown Court this morning Judge Sir John Royce instructed the jury to acquit both defendants, former UK managing director Chris Bush and ex-UK food commercial director John Scouler. The pair had both been charged with one [...]
Shipping executives convicted in North Sea oil bribery scheme November 27, 2018 Two former executives of shipping company FH Bertling have been convicted for their part in a corrupt scheme to win a ConocoPhillips freight forwarding contract worth over £16m as part of a North Sea exploration project. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said today that Stephen Emler and Giuseppe Morreale had pleaded guilty to their part in [...]
Two former Afren oil executives sentenced to 30 years for fraud and money laundering October 29, 2018 The former chief executive and chief operating officer of collapsed oil firm Afren have been sentenced to 30 years in jail for fraud and money laundering offences committed while in charge of the company, the Serious Fraud Office said today. Former chief executive Osman Shahenshah and former operations chief Shahid Ullah received more than $45m (£35m) from a [...]
Serious Fraud Office chief steps back from Barclays case over conflicts October 28, 2018 The new director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) Lisa Osofsky has recused herself from the prosecution of four former Barclays bankers over potential conflicts of interest. The fraud office said she had delegated responsibility for the case to the SFO’s general counsel Alun Milford to “avoid any potential conflict” thrown up by previous private [...]
Ex-Afren executives guilty of $300m oil business deal fraud October 24, 2018 Two former Afren oil executives who laundered $45m (£34.83m) after deceiving the now collapsed company into a fraudulent $300m deal have today been found guilty. Former chief executive Osman Shahenshah, 56, and ex-chief operating officer Shahid Ullah, 59, hatched the plan after a shareholder revolt objected to their £6.6m and £3.8m salaries. Read more: Afren sinks into administration The [...]