Union to ballot 150,000 civil servants on plans for public sector strike September 26, 2022 The public sector workers’ union is set to ballot more than 150,000 civil servants on plans to strike over pay and working conditions. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said it is urging its members in 214 government departments to vote in favour of taking industrial action, after the UK government set out plans [...]
Sanjeev Gupta’s auditor King & King quit over lack of evidence September 21, 2022 The tiny firm that audits the accounts of Sanjeev Gupta’s steelmaking empire has said it resigned from auditing four of the magnate’s companies due to being unable to complete its audits because a “lack of sufficient information.” In a letter filed to Companies House, King & King said it had resigned as auditor four of [...]
Serious Fraud Office to call for overhaul of disclosure regime following trial issues September 4, 2022 THE UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is pushing for the UK’s current disclosure framework to be reformed and brought into the 21st century, City A.M. has learned. The head of the fraud agency, Lisa Osofsky, is expected to use a speech in Cambridge tomorrow to call for an overhaul of the current disclosure regime, which [...]
City Exclusive – SFO’s ‘unique skillset’ will be needed to tackle UK’s worsening fraud epidemic, Lisa Osofsky says September 2, 2022 The director of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has said the agency’s skillset will be needed to combat the mounting levels of increasingly complex and high-value frauds facing the UK’s court system. The letter comes in response to reports in this paper showing the number of fraud cases reaching the UK Crown Courts dropped [...]
Letters: Never-ending tide of fraud September 2, 2022 [RE: Fraud crackdown stalled by record court wait times] I read with interest – but not surprise – that the value of fraud cases heard in courts has significantly risen in 2022, particularly in high-value fraud cases. I would add two points to your commentary. Behind the rising trial numbers lie human stories, with victims [...]
Axiom founder sentenced to 14 years in prison over £100m ‘no win, no fee’ investment fraud August 11, 2022 The founder of a Cayman Islands headquartered fund, that bankrolled ‘no win, no fee’ lawsuits, has been jailed for 14 years for using millions in investors cash to finance his own extravagant spending habits. Axiom Legal Financing Fund founder Timothy Schools was today sentenced to 14 years in prison at a hearing at Southwark Crown [...]
Cayman Islands fund manager convicted over role in £100m ‘no win, no fee’ investment fraud August 10, 2022 The founder of a Cayman Islands investment fund, that bankrolled ‘no win, no fee’ lawsuits, has been convicted of using a complex network of overseas trust to defraud investors of millions. Timothy Schools, investment manager at the Cayman Islands headquartered Axiom Legal Financing Fund, used investors cash to fund his luxury lifestyle, that saw [...]
Glencore shareholders set for payday as profits jump to $18.9bn August 4, 2022 Mining and commodities giant Glencore announced it would put $4.5bn back in shareholders pockets today after it reported record half-yearly profits of $18.9bn on the back of soaring metal prices and market volatility.
Staff cuts in crime agencies would ‘completely undermine’ UK’s fight against oligarchs, campaigners warn July 26, 2022 Campaigners have called on the UK government to rule out plans to slash headcounts in the enforcement agencies tasked with fighting economic crime, after warning any cuts would “completely undermine” Britain’s bid to crack down on the kleptocrats, criminals, and oligarchs that seek to launder dirty money in the UK. UK government plans to cut [...]
Sigh of relief at ammunition giant Chemring as SFO closes four-year probe without prosecution July 1, 2022 A four-year probe into alleged bribery, corruption and money laundering at grenade and ammunition manufacturer Chemring and one of its subsidiaries by the Serious Fraud Office has been closed without prosecution. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) opened its investigation into the activities of Chemring, its subsidiary Chemring Technology Solutions and associated persons in 2018 after [...]