Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Corporate Crime & Compliance UK
-
May 20, 2024
Barristers Blast Lack Of Data As Remote Hearings Decline
The Bar Council on Monday reported a "significant and steep decline" in the number of remote court hearings taking place since the peak of COVID-19 and condemned the "staggering" lack of data available to assess their effectiveness.
-
May 20, 2024
Collapsed Firm Escapes Fine For Making Unapproved Claims
The solicitors' watchdog for England and Wales on Monday waived a £65,300 ($83,000) fine for a shuttered law firm that submitted claims without clients' approval, scrapping the penalty to safeguard the outfit's creditors.
-
May 20, 2024
Step Up Action On Financial Abuse, FCA Tells Firms
The Financial Conduct Authority has called on regulated firms to take further steps to stop financial abuse of individuals through manipulation of banking or insurance products as it looks through the lens of the Consumer Duty.
-
May 20, 2024
Judge Approves Bankruptcy Order On Ex-Axiom Ince Chief
A judge approved on Monday a bankruptcy order against the former head of Axiom Ince Ltd. after the now-collapsed law firm failed to pay monthly installments for its acquisition of Ince.
-
May 20, 2024
Crypto 'Inventor' Used Court As Vehicle For Fraud, Judge Says
A London court ruled Monday that the man who claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto in a weekslong trial lied extensively and committed forgery "on a grand scale," finding that the computer scientist had used the courts as a "vehicle for fraud."
-
May 20, 2024
Assange Gets Final Appeal In Fight Against US Extradition
Julian Assange won a lifeline in his long-running fight against extradition to the U.S. on Monday as an English court granted him permission to challenge assurances from American authorities that the WikiLeaks founder would not face discrimination at trial.
-
May 17, 2024
Imprisoned Oligarch Partly Wins Bid To Expand $14B Claim
An imprisoned Russian billionaire partly succeeded in a London court Friday in adding new allegations to his $13.8 billion claim alleging his business empire was fraudulently taken in a wide-ranging Russian state conspiracy.
-
May 17, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen a wave of claims filed against Verity Trustees Ltd., Harley-Davidson hit retailer Next with an intellectual property claim, Turkish e-commerce entrepreneur Demet Mutlu sue her ex-husband and Trendyol co-founder Evren Üçok and the Solicitors Regulation Authority file a claim against the former boss of collapsed law firm Axiom. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
-
May 17, 2024
SEC Can Try To Show Jurisdiction Over German In $3M Claim
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will be allowed to pursue evidence to support its case for disgorgement of $3.3 million in allegedly ill-gotten gains from a German man whose son was implicated in a $150 million pump-and-dump scheme, a federal judge in Boston ruled on Thursday.
-
May 17, 2024
Sanctions Ruling Clarifies Force Majeure Contractual Rights
A decision by Britain's highest court that a shipowner could reject a client's attempt to sidestep payment restrictions imposed by U.S. sanctions has implications for disputes over force majeure clauses sparked by the effects of those measures, the war in Ukraine and the COVID pandemic on supply chains.
-
May 17, 2024
Post Office Used Womble Bond To Avoid Looking Like 'Bullies'
The Post Office retained Womble Bond Dickinson in a civil case brought by victims of the Horizon scandal because a more aggressive law firm might make it look like "bullies," an executive for the organization told an inquiry Friday.
-
May 17, 2024
Local Authorities Bid To Toss Truck Makers' Pass-On Defense
A lawyer acting for 136 local authorities across the U.K. urged a tribunal on Friday to prevent European truck manufacturers from arguing that they passed on higher costs allegedly paid for vehicles through higher tax and service charges for residents.
-
May 17, 2024
FCA To Weigh 'Sensitive, Emotive Issue' Of Probes Policy
The Financial Conduct Authority has said it "will take time" to consider widespread concerns over its proposals to identify companies or individuals under investigation after lawyers said the move could damage careers.
-
May 17, 2024
Ex-Investment Manager Gets 6 Years For £19M Ponzi Scheme
A former investment manager was sentenced to six years in prison on Friday for defrauding hundreds of investors out of £19 million ($24 million) in a Ponzi scheme that prosecutors said helped fuel a lavish lifestyle.
-
May 17, 2024
Why The NCA's Milestone Bribery Win Is A Hard Act To Follow
The first bribery conviction of a foreign official in Britain suggests that law enforcers are taking an increasingly active approach to investigations, although lawyers caution that it will be hard to repeat the use of undercover officers secretly recording suspects in financial crime cases.
-
May 16, 2024
Post Office's Ex-IT Head Says She Blocked Ex-CEO Requests
The Post Office's former head of information technology said she blocked phone communication from former chief executive Paula Vennells after Vennells contacted her for help to "avoid an independent inquiry" into the wrongful prosecutions of sub-postmasters, according to a document made public in the probe Thursday.
-
May 16, 2024
Meta Hit With EU Probe Over Child Safety Concerns
Meta was hit on Thursday with an investigation by the European Commission over concerns its Facebook and Instagram services could promote addictions in children.
-
May 16, 2024
NCA Says Uyghur Cotton Probe Would Soon Unravel
The National Crime Agency defended on Thursday its decision to refuse to investigate imported cotton produced in a Chinese province with forced labor, telling an appeals court that it would be kneecapped by the difficulty of separating legal goods from criminal property.
-
May 16, 2024
FCA Charges Reality TV Stars Over Risky Investment Ads
The Financial Conduct Authority said Thursday it has charged nine social media influencers and reality TV stars for promoting an unauthorized trading scheme online that dealt with high-risk financial products tied to foreign exchange rates.
-
May 16, 2024
Russian Wealth Fund Fails To Curb EU Sanctions
The European Union's General Court has upheld sanctions against a Russian sovereign wealth fund, ruling it is the "archetypal" company for attracting international investors who sustain the country's war in Ukraine.
-
May 16, 2024
Nationwide Cited For Compliance Breaches In PPI Market
The competition watchdog said on Thursday it has written to Nationwide Building Society, telling the lender that it had breached the rules by giving clients incorrect information about insurance covering mortgage repayments.
-
May 15, 2024
Uyghur Group Fights To Revive Bid For Chinese Cotton Probe
Campaigners for the Uyghurs told an appellate court Wednesday that Britain was wrong to refuse to launch a broad investigation into imported cotton produced in China with forced labor rather than specific shipments, arguing that the decision could create a market for criminal property.
-
May 15, 2024
Food Supplier's £1.1M Suit Alleges Ex-Director Inflated Price
A food product company has alleged its former director owes it over £1.1 million ($1.4 million) for devising a scheme to artificially inflate suppliers' costs and pocketing the difference between the real price.
-
May 15, 2024
Crypto 'Academy' Closed After Probe Into False Assurances
A cryptocurrency firm that "recklessly" persuaded customers to put money into investment plans has been wound up after the government's insolvency agency found that the company had given false assurances and traded without regulatory approval.
-
May 15, 2024
Watchdog Warns Bank CEOs Of Inadequate Recovery Plans
The Prudential Regulation Authority told the chief executives of smaller U.K. banks and building societies in a letter on Wednesday that their companies should improve recovery plans, saying that they use insufficiently severe scenarios in testing.
Expert Analysis
-
Full EU Import Border Controls Pose Hurdles For UK Cos.
The U.K.’s long-anticipated introduction of full border controls on imports of goods from the EU, due to complete by the end of 2024, brings the system broadly into line with goods imported from the rest of the world, but may result in delays, increased costs and disruption as businesses adapt, say Ben Chivers and Jonathan Rush at Travers Smith.
-
Cos. Should Review Cookie Compliance After ICO Warnings
The Information Commissioner's Office recently restated its intention to take enforcement action on the unlawful use of nonessential cookies, and with the additional threat of public exposure and reputational damage, organizations should review their policies and banners to ensure they comply with data protection legislation, says Murron Marr at Shepherd & Wedderburn.
-
New Fraud Prevention Offense May Not Make Much Difference
By targeting only large organizations, the Economic Crime Act's new failure to prevent fraud offense is striking in that, despite its breadth, it will affect so few companies, and is therefore unlikely to help ordinary victims, says Andrew Smith at Corker Binning.
-
Mitigating And Managing Risks Of AI Use In Private Equity
While generative artificial intelligence has the ability to transform private equity firms and their portfolio companies, its deployment brings inherent risks, including those presented by the forthcoming EU AI Act, requiring appropriate risk management strategies, processes and policies to be adopted, says Barry Fishley at Weil.
-
Vodafone Decision Highlights Wide Scope Of UK's FDI Rules
The U.K. government’s recently imposed conditions required for its approval of Vodafone and Etisalat’s strategic relationship agreement under its National Security and Investment Act jurisdiction, illustrating the significance of the act as an important factor for transactions with a U.K. link, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.
-
Decoding UK Case Law On Anti-Suit Injunctions
The English High Court's forthcoming decision on an anti-suit injunction filed in Augusta Energy v. Top Oil last month will provide useful guidance on application grounds for practitioners, but, pending that ruling, other recent decisions offer key considerations when making or resisting claims when there is an exclusive jurisdiction clause in the contract, says Abigail Healey at Quillon Law.
-
Consultation Docs Can Help EU Firms Prep For Crypto Regs
Firms providing crypto services should note two recent papers from the European Securities and Markets Authority defining proposals on reverse solicitation and financial instrument classification that will be critical to clarifying the scope of the regulatory framework under the impending Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.
-
A Closer Look At Novel Jury Instruction In Forex Rigging Case
After the recent commodities fraud conviction of a U.K.-based hedge fund executive in U.S. v. Phillips, post-trial briefing has focused on whether the New York federal court’s jury instruction incorrectly defined the requisite level of intent, which should inform defense counsel in future open market manipulation cases, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.
-
Investors' Call For Voting Changes Faces Practical Challenges
A recent investor coalition call on fund managers to offer pass-through voting on pooled funds highlights a renewed concern for clients’ interests, but legal, regulatory and technological issues need to be overcome to ensure that risks related to the product are effectively mitigated, says Angeli Arora at Allectus.
-
Litigation Funding Implications Amid Post-PACCAR Disputes
An English tribunal's recent decision in Neill v. Sony, allowing an appeal on the enforceability of a litigation funding agreement, highlights how the legislative developments on funding limits following the U.K. Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Paccar v. Competition Appeal Tribunal may affect practitioners, say Andrew Leitch and Anoma Rekhi at BCLP.
-
EU Product Liability Reforms Represent A Major Shakeup
The recent EU Parliament and Council provisional agreement on a new product liability regime in Europe revises the existing strict liability rules for the first time in 40 years by easing the burden of proof to demonstrate that a product is defective, a hurdle that many had previously failed to overcome, say Anushi Amin and Edward Turtle at Cooley.
-
Amazon's €32M Data Protection Fine Acts As Employer Caveat
The recent decision by French data privacy regulator CNIL to fine Amazon for excessive surveillance of its workers opens up a raft of potential employment law, data protection and breach of contract issues, and offers a clear warning that companies need coherent justification for monitoring employees, say Robert Smedley and William Richmond-Coggan at Freeths.
-
What Extension Of French FDI Control Means For Investors
The recently published French order on foreign investment control expands the regime's application to more sectors and at a lower threshold of share ownership, illustrating France's determination to maintain sovereignty over its supply chains in sensitive sectors, and adding new considerations for potential investors in these areas, say lawyers at Linklaters.
-
What To Expect For Private Capital Investment Funds In 2024
As 2024 gets underway, market sentiment in the private fundraising sphere seems more optimistic, with a greater focus on deal sourcing and operational optimizations, and an increased emphasis on impact and sustainability strategies, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.
-
Cayman Islands Off AML Risk Lists, Signaling Robust Controls
As a world-leading jurisdiction for securitization special purpose entities, the removal of the Cayman Islands from increased anti-money laundering monitoring lists is a significant milestone that will benefit new and existing financial services customers conducting business in the territory, say lawyers at Walkers Global.