‘Moral hazard’ – Lawyers warn SFO whistleblowing rewards could backfire Legal The UK government has launched a consultation on reforming whistleblowing laws, seeking to give the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) powers to reward individuals who report economic crime, a move experts view with scepticism. On Monday, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds and minister for the future of work, Kate Dearden, revealed the government’s plans for a “whistleblowing [...]
Former City trader’s rate rigging conviction overturned Legal A former City trader previously convicted of rigging the Euribor interest rates has had his fraud conviction overturned. Christian Bittar, formerly a trader at Deutsche Bank, had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal on Friday after being sentenced to five years in prison for rigging the primary European interest rate, the Euro Interbank [...]
Former City traders’ fraud convictions overturned Legal A group of five former City traders previously convicted of rigging the Libor and Euribor interest rates have had their fraud convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal. The five investment bankers, who previously worked at Barclays, had their convictions quashed having served jailtime for conspiring to rig the now-defunct interest rates in the run-up [...]
Millions spent, reputations battered: Fraud watchdog, Dechert and ENRC legal war reaches an end September 2, 2026 Years of bitter litigation, millions of pounds in legal fees, and severe reputational damage: the disastrous, decade-long feud between a Kazakh mining giant, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), and a heavy-hitting City law firm has finally ended with a confidential settlement. Mining firm Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) launched legal action against the law firm [...]
Natwest hit with £250m lawsuit tied to Thurrock Council scandal July 1, 2026 Natwest could be on the hook for more than a quarter of a billion pounds for allegedly aiding a businessman in secretly transferring funds from his investment firm. The FTSE 100 giant’s subsidiary – the Royal Bank of Scotland – has been engulfed in the collapse of Rockfire Group, which was triggered by a fraud [...]
SFO drops former AIM London Mining bribery case after decade-long probe February 12, 2026 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) officially dropped all charges against the former executives of London Mining, a decade after launching its probe into alleged bribery and corruption. The SFO launched an investigation in 2016 into London Mining Plc regarding alleged bribery to secure favourable treatment in Sierra Leone between 2009 and 2014. Former CEO Graeme Hossie, CFO Rachel [...]
Nick Ephgrave announces surprise retirement from Serious Fraud Office January 15, 2026 Nick Ephgrave will step down as director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) two and a half years before his first term was due to finish. The former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police was appointed as the SFO’s director, taking over from Lisa Osofsky, who oversaw several errors during her tenure. Ephgrave was the [...]
‘Downfall’: Home REIT faces SFO probe into suspected bribery and fraud January 14, 2026 The UK’s top financial crime unit has unveiled a major probe into the past management of Home REIT after identifying as much as £300m in suspected fraud and bribery. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said it has carried out raids and arrests into the former London-listed social housing company, including searches at homes in Altrincham, [...]
Auditor MHA resigns from Sanjeev Gupta-owned engineering firm December 9, 2025 MHA has resigned as auditor for a subsidiary of the beleaguered metals group controlled by tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, City AM can reveal. The London-listed accounting firm has stepped down as auditor of Wolverhampton-based Clydesdale Engineering, an automotive and defence manufacturer owned by Gupta’s Liberty Steel Group, part of his GFG Alliance conglomerate. MHA declined to [...]
Tom Hayes sues UBS over Libor scandal October 28, 2025 Tom Hayes is suing his former employer UBS, alleging it handed him on a “silver platter” to white-collar crime prosecutors to safeguard the interests of the Swiss lender and its leadership. The former trader, who became the face of the Libor rate-rigging scandal when he was sentenced to nine years in a UK prison in [...]