Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Financial crime definition

What does Financial crime mean? In legal practice, financial crime means criminal conduct involving money, financial services or financial markets. In the UK, section 1H(3) of the financial services and markets act 2000 defines it as any criminal conduct relating to money or to financial services or markets, including offences involving fraud or dishonesty, misconduct in or misuse of information relating to a financial market, and handling the proceeds of crime. UK regulators (FCA, PRA) construe this broadly. Typical offences include: - fraud and dishonesty offences; market abuse (insider dealing, manipulation) - money laundering and terrorist financing; dealing with the proceeds of crime - bribery and...

Handling financial crime investigations in UK law firms: SARs, production orders, search warrants, LPP, confidentiality, risk assessments, procedures, timescales, costs and compliance

Published by a LexisNexis Practice Compliance expert

Practice notes

Mitigating the risk

You should establish procedures requiring staff to disclose (usually to the nominated officer) any knowledge or suspicion concerning:

Money laundering, terrorist financing or proliferation financing
sanctions breaches
fraud
tax evasion
Bribery and Corruption
organised crime

See further section: Mitigating the risk.

The nominated officer is, in specified situations, obliged to relay that knowledge or suspicion to the National Crime Agency (NCA) by submitting a suspicious activity report (SAR), or, depending on the report’s character, to another authority via suitable routes. The NCA assigns SARs to trained Financial crime investigators for further enquiries. Intelligence derived from SARs may then be passed by the NCA to other law enforcement or government agencies (LEAs), which may require additional information. Where LEAs seek more material following a SAR, it will generally be obtained through enforcement action, usually by way of a production order. This How-to guide offers direction on managing financial crime investigations and addresses related topics such as client confidentiality, legal professional privilege, and whether a production order inevitably creates suspicion...

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

Popular documents

Using the Judicial College Guidelines to assess general damages in personal injury claims

When evaluating a general damages claim, the practitioner ought initially to refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG)...

Tomlin orders in England and Wales: CPR guidance on drafting, confidentiality, approval, variation, enforcement, limitation, CCA issues, court-specific requirements, sample wording and precedents

This Practice Note This Practice Note reviews mechanisms used in settling litigation. A Tomlin order consists of a consent order paired with a schedule. It operates to stay proceedings on terms that have been agreed. The provisions contained in the schedule may remain confidential. This Practice Note describes the scope of confidentiality attaching to the schedule and sets out how it differs from a standard consent order. Sample wording for a Tomlin order is included, alongside links to precedents, as well as guidance on court approval. It also addresses varying, setting aside and enforcing a Tomlin order, including the considerations the court will take into account when handling applications for each. Further guidance is provided on interpreting and applying the relevant provisions of the CPR; however, some courts and divisions impose very specific requirements for both drafting and approval, and for approaching the schedule and confidentiality issues. Accordingly, you must consider the particular rules and court guide provisions in the forum where your claim is proceeding when drawing up the Tomlin order...

Precedent: Deed of Surrender of Lease with Optional Premium, Settlement and Release, Landlord, Mortgagee and Guarantor Consents, Reimbursement and HM Land Registry Provisions (England and Wales)

Date [ date ] Parties [ name of Landlord ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Landlord) [ name of Tenant ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Tenant) [ [ name of Guarantor ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Guarantor) ] [ [ name of Mortgagee ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Mortgagee) ] Definitions Within this Deed, the terms below shall be interpreted as follows: [ Annual Rent • the annual sum reserved under the Lease; ] [ Insurance Rent • the Tenant’s share of the Landlord’s costs of insuring the Property (as set out in the Lease); ] Lease • the lease of the Property dated [ date ], entered into between (1) [ the Landlord OR [ name ...

Precedent Statutory Declaration: Standard Wording under the Statutory Declarations Act 1835

I, [ name ], of [ address ], solemnly and sincerely state that: [ Matters to be verified, set out in numbered paragraphs ] I make this solemn statement in good conscience, believing it to be true, and pursuant to the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. DECLARED at [ details ] this [ day ] day of [ month and year ] Before me ................................................................................ [ signature of the person before whom the declaration is made ] A [ commissioner for oaths OR [ solicitor OR [ insert other qualification ] ] authorised to administer oaths ]...