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
-
ArticleLarge wound care practice pays $45M, agrees to monitoring
One of the largest wound care practices in the nation and its founder have agreed to pay $45 million and be subjected to third-party monitoring, to settle allegations that the business intentionally overbilled Medicare by priming its electronic medical records system to do so.
-
News BriefSEC dismisses SolarWinds case tied to 2020 cyberattack
The dismissal of charges against SolarWinds for alleged cybersecurity lapses related to a 2020 Russian cyberattack in 2020 are the latest in a continuing pattern of leniency for corporations by the Trump administration.
-
PremiumPart Two: FCPA cases closed by DOJ, SEC since January
Since the start of the Trump Administration, the Department of Justice has been winding down a number of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations with little public attention. This second article further explores how and why these FCPA matters have been closed.