FT Adviser | Recent DPA case shows SFO is ready for the fight against corporate crime

FT Adviser recently featured London partners Neill Blundell and Anneka Randhawa in an article examining what the recent Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) in the Ultra Electronics case signals about the Serious Fraud Office's enforcement approach and the future of corporate crime prosecutions in the UK. Their article explores the SFO's renewed appetite for complex cross-border investigations, the discretionary nature of DPA negotiations and the implications for companies seeking to resolve criminal inquiries through cooperation and self-reporting.

Commenting on the case, Neill and Anneka note that a key lesson from Ultra Electronics is that there is "never a guarantee either that a company will be offered a negotiation (although a self-report and full co-operation will maximise that chance) or that the process will naturally conclude in a DPA which reaches the court for approval" and that "there is therefore never room for complacency by any company entering into the process."

Read the full FT Adviser article here (paywalled).

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