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22 March 2024
Issue: 8064 / Categories: Legal News , Procedure & practice , Company , Commercial , Fraud
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NLJ this week: Could this doctrine be useful in the fight against corporate crime?

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A little-known doctrine could be a boon for investigative agencies, Nick Barnard, partner, Corker Binning, writes in this week’s NLJ

Moreover, the doctrine may be about to come into fashion due to the changing landscape ushered in by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

Under the doctrine of ‘consent and connivance’, individuals can be criminally liable for offences committed by their companies. There is no need for the company to be convicted for a director to be liable.

Barnard also looks at ‘the unusual status of consent and connivance in the criminal law, in that they create secondary liability on the basis of a lower threshold of mens rea than that required to be satisfied by the primary offender’.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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