Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill published

Article summary

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill was introduced in the House of Commons and published on 22 September 2022. The government Bill sponsored by Home Secretary, Suella Braverman KC, follows the announcement of the Bill in the Queen's Speech on 10 May 2022 and forms part of the government's continued response to the conflict in Ukraine. The Home Office has stated that the Bill includes provisions for the biggest reforms to Companies House in 170 years, including new investigation and enforcement powers. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) notes that the Bill includes provisions to expand the SFO's investigative powers, which would remove current statutory limitations to allow the SFO to gather evidence at the pre-investigation stage in relation to suspected fraud or domestic bribery and corruption.