The Americanisation of the SFO is not the way to stamp out UK fraud December 1, 2009 THIS year began with an announcement by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) that it was investigating potential UK criminality arising out of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme scandal. Richard Alderman, the SFO’s director, hailed the investigation as an example of the “new, faster approach to tackling fraud”. So as the year draws to a close, [...]
SFO drops prosecution of biotech millionaire Sir Christopher Evans November 12, 2009 BIOTECH millionaire Sir Christopher Evans will not be prosecuted for alleged fraud after a four-year probe into his venture capital firm Merlin Biosciences was dropped. The Serious Fraud Office has been investigating Evans over claims from a former employee that he had paid between £1m and £2.5m into a shell company of unknown ownership. But [...]
SFO launches probe into Dynamic hedge fund November 12, 2009 THE Serious Fraud Office has launched a criminal investigation into Dynamic Decisions Capital Management, a Mayfair-based hedge fund. Dynamic Decisions’ flagship Growth Premium Master fund went into liquidation in May amid claims its net asset value had plummeted from $550m (£332.9m) to $20m. The SFO said it was looking into the investment activities of the [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPER SAY THIS MORNING November 8, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphBAE HIRES PINOCHET LAWYER FOR SFO FIGHTBAE Systems has instructed General Pinochet’s former QC to handle its defence if the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is successful in persuading the Attorney General to proceed with a fraud prosecution against the arms manufacturer. GOVERNMENT PLANS FAST-TRACK NUCLEAR EXPANSIONThe government is set to hand an [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 2, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES VODAFONE’S GHANA DEAL ATTRACTS SFO INTERESTThe UK Serious Fraud Office has contacted Vodafone about its controversial deal to buy a controlling stake in Ghana’s third-largest mobile phone operator. The SFO has not launched an investigation into the deal, but is monitoring allegations of irregularity that have been made in Ghana. INDIAN SURGE BENEFITS [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING October 26, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES TOSHIBA TARGETS METALS DEAL IN KAZAKHSTANJapanese companies, urged on by their government, are racing to secure supplies of rare metals and rare earth elements that are vital to many technology products.By the end of the year Toshiba aims to agree a deal with Kazatomprom, the national uranium company of Kazakhstan, to extract rare [...]
Serious Fraud Office begins probe into City trader Levene October 21, 2009 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched a formal criminal investigation into the activities of north London financier Nicholas Levene. The 45-year-old, from High Barnet, has been declared bankrupt as City clients pursue him through the courts over alleged debts of at least £200m. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said it has opened an inquiry [...]
BAE predicts good growth, unsure over bribery costs October 14, 2009 BAE Systems, europe’s largest defence firm, forecast “good growth” for the rest of the year yesterday, despite a slump in its sale of land vehicles.The group also added it expected trading to “benefit from any continued weakness of sterling against the US dollar.” The US accounts for around 60 per cent of BAE’s sales, and [...]
Langdale hired by fraud office in BAE investigation October 11, 2009 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has upped the ante in its case against defence giant BAE Systems by hiring top criminal QC Timothy Langdale to help file a corruption suit against the firm . By getting Langdale, who successfully defended Colonel Jorge Mendonca in 2003 against charges of mistreating Iraqi civilian detainees in Basra, on [...]
SFO signals move to US-style tactics October 6, 2009 WHEN the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said last week that it intends to seek the Attorney General’s consent to prosecute BAE, this signalled a significant change in its modus operandi. It has never in the past publicised to this extent its intended actions in an ongoing investigation. In 2008, at about the same time that [...]