Fraud

From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics

Sadie Whittam considers the growing use of SLAPPs & the abuse of the litigation process

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has said a further five LIBOR convictions may be unsafe, following the Supreme Court appeals in July that quashed the 2015 convictions of former traders Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo

Large companies and organisations risk hefty fines if their compliance procedures are not up to scratch, as of this week

The Leveson review proposes mandatory judge-alone trials in serious & complex fraud cases: Lloyd Firth argues this runs counter to the interests of justice

Writing in NLJ this week, Lloyd Firth of WilmerHale critiques Recommendation 44 of the Leveson Review, which proposes mandatory judge-alone trials for serious and complex fraud cases

The Supreme Court has quashed the Libor and Euribor convictions of bankers Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, on the basis the jury was misdirected

Jonathan Fisher KC was asked to lead an independent review into disclosure and fraud offences in the paper-heavy digital era, following the collapse of high-profile fraud prosecutions due to disclosure failings. In this week’s NLJ, Neil Swift, partner, Fred Kelly, senior associate, and Zainab Bhadelia, associate, Peters & Peters, present a thorough analysis and critique of Fisher KC’s findings and recommendations

It’s been a slow process, but anti-SLAPP legislation is finally on the statute book (although not yet in force). In this week’s NLJ, Michael Bundock, barrister, dispute resolution, Lexis+AI, explores the potential impact of the new measures, which are designed to stop legitimate comment being stifled by ‘strategic litigation against public participation’ (SLAPP)

Michael Bundock gives a muted welcome to the new rules