Legal News

The Court of Appeal refused permission to appeal on 23 March 2026 to a group of Brazilian municipalities seeking to challenge its decision that BHP could not be held in contempt for seeking anti-suit relief from an overseas court It remains open to the municipalities to ask the UK Supreme Court for permission to appeal. On 13 March 2026, the Court of Appeal allowed BHP’s appeal, finding that pursuing lawful anti-suit relief cannot constitute contempt merely because it may disrupt ongoing English proceedings. BHP had appealed the High Court’s June 2025 judgment, which had determined there were reasonable grounds to argue BHP was in contempt. The claimant municipalities relied on the fact that BHP had agreed to finance a claim brought by......

In this issue: Proceeds of crime Sentencing Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Food safety and hygiene offences Fraud, forgery, tax and theft offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Insolvency offences and Companies Act offences Local authority prosecutions International Other corporate crime news Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Proceeds of crime CPS announces UWO and freezing order over £81 million London property portfolio The Crown Prosecution Service ( CPS) confirmed it has secured an unexplained wealth order ( UWO) alongside an interim freezing order ( IFO) concerning a London property portfolio valued at more than £81 million, made up of flats across central and south London. The orders apply to a Chinese national and connected UK companies suspected of using illicitly obtained funds to purchase the properties, which remain frozen while a civil recovery investigation continues to determine whether they represent the...

Background These linked appeals address how a UK sanction against Russia bears on obligations arising under aircraft leasing arrangements. The pertinent measure is the Russia ( Sanctions) ( EU Exit) Regulations 2019 ( SI 2019/855), regulation 28(3)(c). In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, regulation 28(3)(c) was amended with effect from 1 March 2022 so that a person must not, directly or indirectly, provide financial services or funds in pursuit of, or in connection with, an arrangement whose object or effect is to make restricted goods or restricted technology available, whether directly or indirectly, (i) to a person connected with Russia, or (ii) for use in Russia. The amendment expanded a prohibition that had previously focused on military goods and military technology, bringing within scope specified civilian goods, including critical‑industry goods such as aircraft. The appellants are...

In a brief public statement, the FCA stated that MFS has the status of an Annex 1 business, a category only subject to limited FCA oversight. For MFS, this relates to compliance with anti-money laundering ( AML), counter-terrorist financing, and rules governing the movement of funds. The FCA said Annex 1 firms are not authorised and do not fall under wider FCA regulation. The regulator offered no additional specific detail about the focus of its inquiry. A spokesperson for Alix Partners LLP, administrators to MFS, said it is aware of the FCA’s investigation and will not be making any further comment. MFS issued loans and other mortgage-like financial products. The......

The Court of Appeal ruled that BHP would not have to face a claim for criminal contempt of court brought by a group of Brazilian municipalities, holding that BHP could not be in contempt for seeking anti-suit relief from an overseas court. In a unanimous written judgment of three justices, Lord Justice Andrew Popplewell confirmed that asking a foreign court for lawful anti‑suit relief cannot be criminal contempt simply because it risks disrupting proceedings already on foot in England. Anti‑suit injunctions are intended to restrain litigation in other jurisdictions, and the moment BHP chose to pursue such relief did not transform permissible action into contempt. As he explained, if procuring the claim at the outset would not, as a matter of principle, amount to criminal contempt — as is rightly accepted — mere timing cannot alter that...

In this issue: Investigating criminal conduct Criminal procedure and evidence Proceeds of Crime Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Cybercrime and data protection offences Environmental offences Fraud, forgery, tax and theft offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Insolvency offences and Companies Act offences Local authority prosecutions Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Investigating criminal conduct NCA publishes National Strategic Assessment 2026 and proposes National Police Service creation The National Crime Agency ( NCA) has issued its National Strategic Assessment 2026, with Director General Graeme Biggar stating that the overarching threat from serious and organised crime rose in 2025. The assessment makes clear that technology no longer simply enables offending; it is transforming it by...

Background to the case Dana Astra IOOO (‘ Dana Astra’) is a property and construction enterprise registered and operating in Belarus, whilst its holding company, Dana Holdings, is registered in Cyprus. Dana Astra does not maintain any place of business or assets in the UK. On 31 December 2020, the UK designated Dana Astra for sanctions (shortly after the EU’s listing on 17 December 2020) under the Republic of Belarus ( Sanctions) ( EU Exit) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/600 (the ‘ Regulations’). The Secretary of State considered there to be reasonable grounds to suspect Dana Astra of being ‘complicit in the repression of civil society’ in Belarus. In particular, it was said that Dana Astra’s proprietors are closely connected to President Lukashenko; that Dana Astra had acted as sponsor of the Belarusian National Olympic Committee as the only entity that was not...

The Law Commission, the statutory body that examines laws in England and Wales, told Law360 on 11 March 2026 that it will not revisit proposals to simplify and modernise the country's rules governing reporting on criminal proceedings and related matters. It added that existing guidance already tackles judge-only trials. In November 2025, the Law Commission set out plans to overhaul the law of contempt after a government request to consider reforms aimed at improving effectiveness, consistency and coherence. The options outlined included a new test for general contempt and other contempt types, and a change to the point at which criminal proceedings are deemed 'active'. A spokesperson for the Commission said the recommendations in its report would apply 'regardless of whether the particular proceedings are heard by a judge or jury'. Those recommendations were prepared before government ministers proposed carving out...

In this issue: Criminal Liability Investigating criminal conduct Criminal procedure and evidence Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Fraud, forgery, tax and theft offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences International Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Criminal Liability Corporate Crime Outlook 2026— Key developments and emerging enforcement priorities Each year throws up headline corporate crime issues—some predictable as the year begins, others entirely unforeseen—and 2026 is set to follow suit. Whilst no one can state with certainty what lies ahead, several dynamics already appear likely to exert a marked influence. Niall Hearty, partner at Rahman Ravelli, assesses the changing corporate crime landscape for 2026, pointing to enforcement...

The SFO’s role The Serious Fraud Office ( SFO) plays a pivotal role in any year as a matter of course. Yet the news—barely weeks into 2026—that its director, Nick Ephgrave, is stepping aside presents another challenge for the body. The consequences could shape much of the SFO’s work from hereon in, and it is still uncertain whether the organisation can sustain the drive and focus Ephgrave brought since his arrival in 2023. Graham Mc Nulty has been named interim director, taking up the role in April, with no shortage of matters competing for his time and attention. It is also worth noting that Ephgrave’s exit was disclosed only weeks after the government unveiled its new strategy to combat corruption (see below). The specifics of that strategy remain sparse for now. Whether this heralds shifts in the SFO’s in-tray and/or a heavier or lighter...

John Ormerod, a 75-year-old former accountant from London, was hit with UK sanctions in May 2025, linked to his acquisition of 26 vessels valued at hundreds of millions of pounds between December 2022 and August 2023. After they were sold on, Russian company Lukoil employed the ships to move barrels of oil. The fleet became part of Russia’s so-called shadow network, used to evade sanctions imposed after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Although Ormerod disposed of the ships in 2023, he was nevertheless designated in 2025 as a UK-based national. His designation was removed on 2 March 2026, only weeks after he publicly condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine. His lawyers said the listing left him unable to access funds to meet basic needs. Abigail Healey, a partner at Quillon Law acting for Ormerod, said the UK Foreign, Commonwealth &...

Share your insights here What changes have been made by OFSI to its guidance on financial sanctions enforcement and monetary penalties? The latest iteration of the guidance sets out four principal changes: Reworked case assessment process ( Chapter 5): The document now includes an 'indicative matrix' to gauge the gravity of a breach. This matrix aligns breach severity with specified aggravating and mitigating considerations. It identifies four tiers of seriousness. Breaches falling within level 3 (high) or level 4 (very high) are expected to attract monetary penalties, with baseline figures of up to 75% or 75–100% of the statutory maximum, respectively. Level 4 matters may additionally be passed to law enforcement for criminal investigation. A number of case factors have been introduced, altered, retitled or removed......

This piece explores how the FCA’s enforcement against HTX (the first action of its type) highlights the difficulty of policing a borderless cryptoasset sector from a single national base. It also signals how the FCA may scale its approach once cryptoassets sit fully inside the regulatory perimeter in 2027. Background HTX, known as Huobi until 2023, is a cryptocurrency exchange launched in 2013. Initially aligned with Chinese users, it shifted focus to worldwide markets, including the UK, after domestic rules tightened. In the UK, oversight of cryptoassets has progressed at a measured pace compared with other jurisdictions, which range from unrestrained openness to comprehensive prohibitions. Beyond an early move in January 2021 banning retail sales of crypto-derivatives, the first significant stride arrived in April 2022: all cryptoasset service providers operating in the UK had to register with the FCA under the Money...

In this issue: Criminal procedure and evidence Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Cybercrime and data protection offences Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Fraud, forgery, tax and theft offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Corporate Crime in Scotland Other Corporate Crime news Lex Talk®Corporate Crime: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Criminal procedure and evidence Misconduct in public office—reform under the Public Office ( Accountability) Bill Michelle Heeley KC, Head of No5 Chambers, reviews the enduring shortcomings of the common law offence of misconduct in public office and outlines how the Public Office ( Accountability) Bill 2025 intends to tackle them by setting out clearly defined statutory offences, introducing duties of candour and...

Misconduct in public office In November 2020, the Law Commission produced a report outlining the problems surrounding the common law offence of misconduct in public office. This centuries‑old common law crime, which applies to ‘public office holders’, carries a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment. It has never been set out in statute, meaning its scope and elements have gradually been shaped by case law over time. The leading authority, Attorney General's Reference ( No 3 of 2003) [2004] EWCA Crim 868, offered guidance, describing it as an offence committed by a public office holder who, acting in that capacity, wilfully neglects to perform a duty or wilfully misconducts themselves to such an extent that it amounts to an abuse of the public’s trust in that office. Nonetheless, uncertainty persisted as to the meaning of ‘public office holder’ and the range of...

Although the indicators do not materially alter the foreign bribery offence and will be well known to many legal and compliance practitioners, they mark a further move towards the global harmonisation of the criteria used to assess corruption risk. This piece reviews the IFBT’s newest guidance, considers what it means for multinational businesses, and notes developments in other recent cross-border anti-corruption efforts. International Foreign Bribery Taskforce The International Foreign Bribery Taskforce ( IFBT) brings together law enforcement bodies from the so-called Five Eyes: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US, to share intelligence and tackle bribery and related crime. Its members comprise specialists in foreign bribery from the Australian Federal Police; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; the New Zealand Police and the New Zealand Serious Fraud Office; the UK Serious Fraud Office ( SFO) and the National Crime Agency; and the US Federal Bureau of...

The publication signals the FCA’s wider move towards greater openness under the revised Enforcement Guide introduced in June 2025. For the first time, the regulator has brought together its early‑stage enforcement work in a format that shows, in near real time, how the updated publicity policy is being applied. For firms and practitioners, the newsletter clarifies which cases are being launched, the types of behaviour drawing scrutiny, and how the FCA is handling early communications around enforcement. In this article, Hamilton sets out what the inaugural Enforcement Watch reveals about the FCA’s current enforcement activity, how the revised publicity policy is operating in practice, and the practical takeaways firms and advisers should draw from the regulator’s approach. Enforcement pipeline The newsletter records that, between June and December 2025, the FCA commenced 23 enforcement matters. That headline number is revealing. Following the...

Rangecourt SA (formerly Banque Havilland SA) & others v The Financial Conduct Authority Rangecourt SA (formerly Banque Havilland SA) and others v The Financial Conduct Authority and another [2026] UKUT 47 ( TCC) What are the practical implications of this case? The judgment delivers notable regulatory guidance on when co-operation will be treated as a mitigating factor in enforcement, and resists the FCA’s increasingly tight interpretation of what is ‘exceptional’. The Tribunal placed marked emphasis on post-breach conduct, particularly where a firm proactively uncovers, scrutinises and reports misconduct. It confirms that firms which promptly self-report, investigate effectively, engage external advisers and put remedial measures in place (including staffing changes) can anticipate substantive mitigation—promoting earlier internal inquiries, greater candour and swifter regulatory dialogue. The Tribunal also sets out a more precise test for co-operation: the decisive question is whether the firm’s actions...

In this issue: Criminal procedure and evidence Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Cybercrime and data protection offences Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Fraud, forgery, tax and theft offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Local authority prosecutions Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Criminal procedure and evidence Government introduces Courts and Tribunals Bill restricting jury trial rights Former senior judge Sir Brian Leveson has cautioned that prosecutors could face “disaster” unless artificial intelligence ( AI) is adopted to control the expanding tide of digital material in complex criminal proceedings—an urgent step to relieve the Crown Court backlog. Speaking to Law360, a Lexis Nexis® company, he noted that the magnitude of emails, call logs, and mobile phone data now common in...

Boyd v Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland [2026] UKSC 7 Background This appeal addressed when and how a District Judge sitting in the magistrates’ courts of Northern Ireland can revisit a case after sentence has already been handed down in order to substitute a different outcome. The source of that jurisdiction is article 158A of the Magistrates’ Courts ( Northern Ireland) Order 1981 ( NI 26), SI 1981/1675, a provision that is reflected in section 142 of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 for England and Wales. On 28 June 2021, Boyd admitted offences, one being criminal damage to a dwelling. At the sentencing hearing on 10 August 2021, the prosecution had not secured a quotation for repairs or an invoice from the householder. The District Judge imposed a probation order and a restraining order, but no award of compensation was made. On 6 April 2023,...