header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
29 April 2020 / Annabel Kerley , Jonny Frank
Issue: 7884 / Categories: Features , Criminal
printer mail-detail

Compliance matters: meeting SFO expectations

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
19888
Jonny Frank & Annabel Kerley offer practical guidance for companies under investigation

 

In brief

 

  • Covers the Serious Fraud Office guidance on compliance programmes.
  • Offers practical tips and steps to follow for companies whose compliance programmes are under investigation.

The UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) published updated guidance within its Operational Handbook on the effectiveness of corporate compliance programmes in January. The guidance, ‘Evaluating a compliance Programme ’, speaks loudly to organisations, both on the importance of effective remediation and being prepared for the SFO to review the compliance programme itself, in addition to a criminal investigation into the underlying facts (see https://bit.ly/2SayBxl).

In these types of enquiries, time is of the essence, so global and UK-based companies must act immediately. To help get started, below are actionable takeaways for remediation tactics that should meet the SFO’s expectations as well as tips to help organisations prepare for an investigation into their compliance programme.

 

Steps for effective remediation

 

In deciding whether to prosecute, the guidance

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

Commercial property and child law teams expand with senior hires

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Set expands London and Singapore offering with senior international disputes hires

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Firm strengthens real estate and litigation teams with partner promotions

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Burnout behind the billable hour
Behind the profession’s polished exterior, lawyers are ‘internally drained rather than physically tired’, according to a stark assessment of burnout in legal practice
NLJ this week: Domestic abuse reforms still falling short
Five years after the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 came into force, concerns remain that the family courts continue to minimise allegations of abuse in child contact disputes
NLJ this week: Uber’s legal shield faces scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic
Uber has built a formidable strategy for insulating itself from liability for drivers’ conduct, but the legal terrain differs sharply between the US and England and Wales
NLJ this week: Hereditary peers era finally comes to an end
The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 marks a constitutional watershed by severing the centuries-old link between hereditary titles and automatic membership of the upper chamber
NLJ this week: Is it finally time to scrap Part III?
The Civil Justice Council’s review of Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 could mark the end of what one commentator calls an ‘outdated’ and overly technical regime governing solicitor-client fee disputes
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll