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R (Greyhound Board of Great Britain Ltd) v Welsh Ministers [2026] EWHC 670 (Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The ruling reinforces the constitutional divide between the courts and the legislature. It explains that the scheme and framework of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (GWA 2006) embody that separation of powers, and that any judicial attempt to recognise and enforce a common law obligation on Welsh Ministers to consult prior to introducing legislation in the Senedd would trespass upon that boundary. This is not a departure from established principle; case law has already upheld comparable rules for lawmakers in Scotland and at Westminster. However, this is the first express confirmation of the position for Welsh lawmakers, and the first time this dimension of the GWA 2006 has been analysed in such depth. The court examined earlier
The solution arrived through the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), a quasi‑judicial body handling mass claims, created under UN Security Council Resolution 687. By addressing environmental harm—most notably via its ‘F4’ claim class—the UNCC set a seminal benchmark shaping how international law and contemporary arbitral panels allocate financial responsibility for wartime ecological devastation. With present-day wars in areas such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East bringing dam breaches, strikes on chemical facilities, and the burning of farmland, the UNCC’s legacy endures as an essential reference point for states, global investors, and companies engaged in post‑conflict arbitration. The F4 claims: Quantifying the unquantifiable Prior to the 1990s, mechanisms in international law for war reparations overwhelmingly favoured property loss, foregone earnings, and bodily injury. The natural world was commonly treated as a mute, non-compensable victim of armed hostilities...
Understanding the farming business as a business Many farms still use long-standing structures that arose by habit, not strategy. Sole traders, informal partnerships and outdated partnership deeds are common. While once effective, such setups can cause major issues around succession, tax planning and involving the next generation. A corporate team can take a fresh, business-led view of the farm, asking: Who owns the land and other critical assets? Who manages daily operations? Who carries the risk and who enjoys the return? What is the enduring plan for succession? From this review, the team can confirm whether the current setup is fit for purpose or if an alternative — for example an updated partnership agreement, a company, a limited liability partnership, or a blended model — would better meet the family’s aims. Tax efficiency through joined-up advice Tax sits at the centre of most
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In this issue: Data Protection AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Other financial crime Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content Data Protection EU and China begin discussions under Cross- Border Data Flow Communication Mechanism The European Commission confirmed that the EU and China have opened talks on the Cross- Border Data Flow Communication Mechanism. Arising from the 2023 EU– China dialogues, the mechanism is designed to streamline non-personal data flows for European companies and to support observance of Chinese data rules. In the first round of talks within this mechanism, the EU conveyed its......
Money laundering with fraud has been the most common of this type of criminality by value in the past six months, according to KPMG. From January to June 2024, the courts handled nine cases with a combined value of £128.2m, set against four cases worth £32.6m in the same months of 2023, the Big Four accountancy company's mid-year fraud barometer reports. The biannual barometer, drawing on media sources, focuses on crown court cases alleging fraud of £100,000 and above. ' Money laundering remains a concern in the UK because the complexity and sophistication of financial systems can be exploited for illegal......
In this issue: Risk & Compliance forecast Data protection Financial sanctions AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Other Risk & Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Risk & Compliance forecast New Risk & Compliance forecast as at 20 August 2024 Our refreshed Risk & Compliance forecast (dated 20 August 2024) is now available, featuring an update on the expected timing for publication of new guidance on the failure to prevent fraud offence. See News Analysis: New Risk & Compliance forecast as at 20 August 2024. Data protection ICO opens consultation on data protection compliance in generative AI supply chain The Information Commissioner’s Office ( ICO) has opened a consultation on how accountability for data protection compliance should be allocated across the generative AI supply chain, constituting chapter five of its consultation series on...
New Risk & Compliance forecast as at 20 August 2024 Our Risk and Compliance outlook dated 20 August 2024 monitors proposed regulatory developments relevant to risk and compliance, helping you prepare and plan for any proposed alterations that may......
What is the background to this case? On 6 May 2022, via an ex parte, without-notice application, the NCA secured nine Account Freezing Orders ( AFOs) under sections 303Z1 and 303Z3 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 ( POCA 2002), each lasting 12 months. Allegations were made that persons and entities connected to Petr Aven—described as a ‘prominent Russian businessman and pro- Kremlin Oligarch’—had effected suspicious payments and/or were retaining monies for his benefit around the time of his designation by the EU on 28 February 2022, and subsequently by the UK on 15 March 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Those persons and entities included Ingliston Management Ltd, a UK-registered ‘service company’ owned by Stephen Gater, which has been responsible for the running of Mr Aven’s three UK homes and for meeting the domestic and personal expenses of Mr Aven and his...
This change in UK consumer law will: hand the CMA powers of direct enforcement, making it faster and simpler for the CMA to enforce consumer law broaden the tools available to the CMA (and the courts) to tackle consumer law issues, including significant fines further widen the list of codified breaches in UK consumer law These new powers stem from the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which is expected to take effect in Autumn 2024. The shift to a new model of UK consumer enforcement—what has changed? Under the previous enforcement approach, while the CMA (and some other public bodies) could investigate breaches of consumer law, the authority to find a breach, halt the conduct and impose remedies rested with the UK courts. That route was often slow and uncertain, so the CMA usually sought voluntary...
Risk & Compliance weekly highlights—15 August 2024 In this issue: Financial sanctions Other financial crime Other Risk & Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content Financial sanctions OFSI issues General Licence in relation to insolvency proceedings associated with East West United Bank The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has introduced General Licence INT/2024/5028385 under regulation 64 of the Russia ( Sanctions) ( EU Exit) Regulations 2019, permitting payments and other authorised activities connected to insolvency proceedings involving East West United Bank. INT/2024/5028385 took effect on 9 August 2024 and will expire at 11:59 pm on 8 August 2029. See: LNB News 09/08/2024 35. OFSI amends General Licence INT/2022/2009156 OFSI has updated General Licence INT/2022/2009156, widening the scope of payments allowed to UK insurance companies under the UK sanctions regime to cover employers’ liability...
Businesses affected In the UK, the FTSE 100 fell sharply as outages hit many large companies. Airlines drew the most focus after the total collapse of computer systems across numerous carriers led to flight cancellations, stranding travellers in airports worldwide. British Airways PLC reported cancelling roughly 131 flights between 19–21 July 2024. Across major airlines, more than 4,000 flights were cancelled on 19 July 2024 alone, and over 11,000 between 19–21 July 2024. For many carriers, disruption persisted into the following week. NHS hospitals and other medical providers were blocked from undertaking critical business functions and from accessing information required to deliver care. Likewise, some emergency response operators’ call centres went offline. Financial systems were also affected and became unusable, including trading platforms, banks, retail payment systems and other Microsoft-based transactional platforms. The monetary cost of the outage has yet to be...
Five former Glencore traders, company directors and the group’s ex-global oil chief, billionaire Alex Beard, now face numerous counts for funnelling corrupt payments to officials across West Africa, in a scheme stretching back over 15 years. According to the SFO press release, the accused are charged in relation to the allocation of various oil contracts covering Cameroon, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast between 2007 and 2014. Two defendants are further accused of falsifying invoices sent to Glencore’s London office, described as service fees to a Nigerian oil consultancy, from 2007 to 2011. The investigation may broaden after the SFO stated on 9 August 2024 that it plans to file additional charges as it pushes forward with its bribery inquiry. This ranks among the agency’s most prominent matters in very recent times and, given the scope of the counts, could be the very...
In other developments, a British- Chinese defendant was found guilty of laundering proceeds from a large-scale bitcoin scam; two traders convicted of manipulating rates secured permission to challenge their cases before the UK’s top court; and the Court of Appeal set out the scope of the National Crime Agency’s authority to stem illicit funds. Here, Law360 unpacks the standout Corporate Crime and civil fraud matters from the last half-year, highlighting key developments and outcomes. SFO misses on Saudi bribery trial In March 2024, two Britons accused of funnelling £9.7 million to Saudi officials, after an SFO probe into corruption tied to a multibillion-pound defence deal, were cleared of the principal bribery charges. One defendant, Jeffrey Cook — formerly at the Ministry of Defence and a past executive at GPT Special Project Management — received two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment for a lesser offence of accepting...
In this issue: Financial sanctions AML and other financial crime Other Risk & Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content Financial sanctions FCDO adds information on regulations concerning sanctions on Russia The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office ( FCDO) has updated details on the Russia ( Sanctions) ( EU Exit) ( Amendment) ( No 3) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/834. It confirms that SI 2024/834, reg 57F on ship specification has been revised so a ship can be specified for any activity aimed at destabilising Ukraine or to gain benefit from, or support, the Government of Russia. See: LNB News 05/08/2024 53. FCDO launches new UK Sanctions List Search Function The FCDO has introduced a UK Sanctions List Search Function allowing users to find designated persons without downloading the entire list. See: LNB News...
Guidance on the UK’s new failure to prevent fraud offence Guidance on the UK’s new failure to prevent fraud offence is expected within the next three months, raising the prospect that the offence could take effect by April next year, according to MLex. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, approved by UK legislators last October, contains a clause requiring large businesses to establish ‘reasonable procedures’ to shield themselves from prosecution for failing to prevent fraud. The approach reflects the UK’s Bribery Act 2010, under which corporates may face prosecution for failing to prevent bribery. This closely mirrors the existing legal framework......
This creates a significant legal exposure for UK businesses that import cotton from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region ( XUAR), alongside other higher-risk goods like cocoa, sugar and cobalt, too. This piece examines the Court of Appeal’s judgment and considers what it means in practice for businesses, including in relation to companies’ supply chain due diligence. Background In April 2020, the World Uyghur Congress ( WUC) submitted material to the NCA alleging that grave human rights violations were occurring in the XUAR and asserting that cotton from the region was likely the product of forced labour. The NCA refused to open an inquiry, saying it was not obliged to act unless a particular consignment of cotton had been identified as criminal property. It further maintained that where a party in the supply chain had paid adequate consideration, ie, market value, the goods could no longer...
What are the key findings of this Report? The Report identifies four principal findings: legislative reform: the previous UK administration introduced sweeping legislative, operational and policy changes to deploy sanctions against kleptocracy. This encompasses creating the Combatting Kleptocracy Cell ( CKC) within the National Crime Agency ( NCA) and setting up a new Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation ( OTSI) fragmented regulatory framework: a major impediment to enforcement is the UK’s fragmented sanctions system. Multiple agencies and their enforcement activity lack a coherent strategy, transparency and coordination limited civil enforcement: there has been little inclination to levy or publicise civil penalties for violations, shown by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation ( OFSI) having only ‘named and shamed’ one company and issued a single fine for post‑invasion breaches of the Russian sanctions regime. OFSI and HMRC, which enforce trade sanctions, have tended to prefer gentle...
In this issue: Data protection Financial sanctions Other financial crime Lex Talk®Risk & Compliance: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content Data protection France restricts access to beneficial ownership registry Law360 reports that France is dialling back access to its beneficial ownership information register by introducing a filtering system that limits what was previously a fully public database from 24 July 2024, the French Finance Ministry said on 29 July 2024. See News Analysis: France restricts access to beneficial ownership registry. Financial sanctions Russia ( Sanctions) ( EU Exit) ( Amendment) ( No 3) Regulations 2024 SI 2024/834 Made under the Sanctions and Anti- Money Laundering Act 2018 ( SAMLA 2018) in connection with assimilated law, these Regulations amend one item of UK secondary legislation and revoke another concerning sanctions. They came into force on 31 July 2024. See: LNB...
R (oao World Uyghur Congress) v NCA [2024] EWCA Civ 715 Many companies now confront a fresh, or intensified, risk of prosecution for criminality within their supply chains and for linked money laundering offences. These exposures may emerge in unforeseen ways. Clothing producers, furniture manufacturers and food suppliers could be affected, as might investment firms, banks and commodity traders that are, whether directly or indirectly, connected to the proceeds of crime. In effect, a suite of laws designed to protect the environment and working conditions worldwide appears to have acquired sharper teeth in the UK. Enforcement authorities may initiate more investigations and prosecutions in this field, where previously they considered themselves unable to intervene. The consequences could shape everyday operations, even where businesses are never investigated or prosecuted by the state. Organisations may need to reassess their compliance frameworks to ensure they do not commit money...
According to a ministry news release, journalists, researchers and 'civil society actors committed to financial transparency' will need to set up a free account with the National Institute of Industrial Property in order to gain access. This decision came after consulting members of those three groups, so as to devise a system that would enable them to continue to carry out their work, the ministry said. Any person......
In this issue: Risk & Compliance forecast Data protection Financial sanctions AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Other financial crime Other Risk & Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Risk & Compliance forecast New Risk & Compliance forecast as at 23 July 2024 Our latest Risk & Compliance forecast (dated 23 July 2024) is now available. This month we cover: three new Bills unveiled in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024: the Digital Information and Smart Data Bill, the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, and the Equality ( Race and Disability) Bill an update on the FCA consultation regarding the treatment of PEPs the outcome of the SRA consultation on its draft business plan and budget the conclusion of the SRA consultation on changes enabling it to...
New Risk & Compliance forecast as at 23 July 2024 Our Risk and Compliance forecast, dated 23 July 2024, charts proposed regulatory developments relevant to risk & compliance, enabling you to prepare for any changes that could affect your organisation. You should examine it closely, although a few points that merit attention are outlined below. New items we’re tracking this month Digital Information and Smart Data Bill—the Bill proposes updating and reinforcing the ICO, with targeted adjustments to certain data laws intended to preserve high standards in areas where clarity is currently lacking......
Vneshprombank LLC v Bedzhamov; Kireeva (as bankruptcy trustee of Georgy Bedzhamov) v Bedzhamov [2024] EWHC 1048 ( Ch) What are the practical implications of this case? The court’s construction of the Russia ( Sanctions) ( EU Exit) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/855, reg 11 (‘ Regulation 11’) is unlikely to surprise criminal practitioners; the real practical weight of the ruling lies in its broader analysis of what amounts to a ‘reasonable cause to suspect’. Regulation 11 imposes an objective yardstick: based on the information actually known to the decision-maker, would a reasonable person suspect the funds are those of a designated person—would, rather than might or could? The court also indicated it would not accept at face value claims that prior owners within a corporate chain had truly relinquished all control. Prepared to look beyond corporate formalities, the judgment sets out useful pointers for...
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When evaluating a general damages claim, the practitioner ought initially to refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG)...
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...
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 ...
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 ]...
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