The Serious Fraud Office ("SFO") is in a robust, and collaborative, mood. Three months after jointly announcing the formation of a new International Anti-Corruption Prosecutorial Taskforce (the "Taskforce"), the UK's premier anti-financial crime agency has joined the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre ("IACCC").
The IACCC is a London-based "international, multiagency team of investigators and intelligence analysts" that was formed in 2016 and became operational in 2017.1 It is led by Danny Murphy, a highly experienced law enforcement officer and long-term senior member of the UK's National Crime Agency ("NCA"). The SFO joins nine other law enforcement members, including the NCA,2 the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and agencies from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and the Netherlands. There are also 14 "associate members" from offshore jurisdictions such as Bermuda, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man; five "observers"; and an active operational partnership with INTERPOL.
The IACCC can receive case referrals from any law enforcement or prosecuting authority (it has dealt with 380 over its lifetime) and—although it does not conduct its own investigations—will provide operational assistance on cases through the work of dedicated officers who are co-opted from its member agencies.
Public information on its work is scant, although the NCA has previously explained that one role of the IACCC is to assist overseas partners with investigations involving politically exposed persons; anecdotal evidence backs this up. The IACCC explains elsewhere that it can support other agencies by gathering and sharing intelligence, giving guidance on investigative strategy and providing "case specific training and mentoring."3
The SFO's Director, Nick Ephgrave, has been clear that the SFO is actively seeking new cases and appears to believe that international alliances and partnerships may provide part of the answer to finding work for the agency. As we previously wrote, part of the stated aim of the Taskforce is to recognize the value of cooperation and collaboration in tackling the "significant threat of bribery and corruption and the severe harm that it causes." More recently, after the US Department of Justice ("DOJ") published updated guidance on the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act on June 9, 2025, bringing to an end a brief but high-profile "enforcement pause," Ephgrave reportedly commented: "We're back in business."4 Shortly after this, he met with the head of the DOJ's criminal division, with Ephgrave commenting that the two agencies had "re-affirmed our long-standing commitment to working together wherever possible" to tackle the threat of fraud, bribery and corruption.5
Under Ephgrave's leadership, the SFO has undoubtedly raised its profile. It has shaken off the threat of being merged into the NCA, made a series of investigations overt by way of dawn raids, and has been awarded some much-needed (although relatively small) budget increases and pledges of further investment. Given the track record of the IACCC and the kind of work the SFO is seeking, the new membership may provide a valuable boost for the UK agency as it continues to seek political support and further secure its future.
1 https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/bribery-corruption-and-sanctions-evasion/international-anti-corruption-centre
2 https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/bribery-corruption-and-sanctions-evasion
3 https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/iaccc
4 https://www.law360.com/articles/2356683
5 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sfo-and-doj-affirm-commitment-to-joint-working-to-tackle-crime
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