SFO admits staffing challenges in annual report
By 
Kyle Brasseur2023-07-20T15:01:00
Recruitment and retention are among the biggest issues facing the U.K. Serious Fraud Office (SFO) as the agency gets set for a new director to take the reins.
The SFO on Tuesday published its annual report for 2022-23, in which outgoing Director Lisa Osofsky balanced praise for the agency’s work against acknowledgement of the areas improvement is needed. Osofsky will leave the SFO in September, when Nick Ephgrave, a former assistant commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police Service, will take over.
Ephgrave already has a tall task ahead of him in overhauling the SFO’s culture and performance after a pair of independent reviews completed last year shined a spotlight on deficiencies at the agency that led to significant errors in high-profile cases against Unaoil and Serco.
Related articles
-
News BriefSFO investigating $83M of missing client funds by Axiom Ince
The U.K. Serious Fraud Office launched an investigation into collapsed law firm Axiom Ince and an estimated £66 million (U.S. $82.5 million) worth of client funds that went missing.
-
PremiumWhat should be priorities for incoming SFO director?
High staff turnover, low morale, and unattractive rates of pay are among the areas legal experts pointed to when discussing the potential agenda of Nick Ephgrave upon taking over as head of the U.K. Serious Fraud Office.
-
ArticleGlencore Energy’s $324M fine for bribery comes with warning to others
Glencore Energy UK was ordered to pay nearly £281 million (U.S. $314 million) in fines and costs after an investigation by the U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) found it paid $29 million in bribes to gain preferential access to oil in Africa to boost profits.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
News BriefDOJ targets $14.6B in health care fraud with focus on transnational crime
Emerging enforcement priorities of the U.S. Department of Justice’s health care fraud division align with the Trump administration’s emphasis on prosecuting transnational criminal organizations and ending opioid trafficking.
-
News BriefFTC raises antitrust concerns over $1.57B Circle K deal, orders divestitures
Since President Donald Trump took office, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has yet to keep up the level of enforcement it had under previous chair Lina Khan. The agency, however, returned to antitrust action in the case of fuel stations, just in time for the July 4th holiday.
-
News BriefJudge reinstates fired CPSC commissioners in latest battle over government cuts
In May, three commissioners for the Consumer Product Safety Commission were abruptly fired by President Donald Trump and sued for their jobs shortly after. A federal judge has ruled that the commissioners should be reinstated, although it’s unclear whether that ruling may itself be reversed.