The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has charged Richard Wells and Neil Debenham with conspiracy to defraud as part of its investigation into Safe Hands Plans Ltd and its parent company, SHP Capital Holdings Ltd. Wells, a former director of SHP Capital who resides in Spain, and Debenham, a senior executive based in Norwich, face charges linked to the collapse of Safe Hands Plans Ltd, a prepaid funeral plan provider that ceased trading in 2022 after failing to obtain regulatory approval from the Financial Conduct Authority to continue selling plans. Approximately 46,000 people had purchased plans before the company's collapse, and both companies are now in administration. The SFO announced its investigation in October 2023. Wells and Debenham are scheduled to appear at Westminster magistrates' court on 5 February 2026.

Law360: Britain's white-collar crime prosecutor said on 2 August 2024 it has seized £86,000 (US$110,000) from a former commercial property developer who was convicted of fraud more than a decade ago after it discovered that he had acquired a luxury car.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has concluded its investigation into Bombardier Inc. which began in November 2020 and focused on suspected bribery and corruption related to contracts and orders from Garuda Indonesia. In November 2024, following a comprehensive review, the SFO Director exercised discretion to close the investigation, determining that other overseas authorities are better placed to advance the case to its final stages. The SFO maintains its commitment to international cooperation, continuing to support ongoing investigations by Canadian and US authorities into the matter. This decision reflects the SFO's strategic approach to resource allocation and cross-border collaboration in complex fraud cases.

Law360, Expert analysis: On 26 November 2025, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) released, for the first time, external guidance as to its evaluation of corporate compliance programmes. Tom Grodecki, partner at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP, explains the purpose and implications of the guidance, which highlights the SFO’s focus on practical, effective compliance measures, early remediation and the potential impact of compliance assessments on decisions around prosecution and DPAs.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has confirmed that the Airbus subsidiary, GPT Special Project Management Ltd (GPT), has pleaded guilty to corruption in relation to contracts awarded to GPT in respect of work carried out for the Saudi Arabian National Guard between December 2008 and July 2010. GPT entered a guilty plea at Southwark Crown Court, to one count of corruption, contrary to section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906. The company has been sentenced to pay a confiscation order of £20,603,000, fine of £7,521,920 and costs of £2,200,000.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has confirmed that it will no longer be proceeding with its prosecution of luxury car dealer Tom Hartley for failure to comply with an SFO investigation. The SFO has said that following information submitted by Hartley on 25 September 2023, the case no longer satisfied the evidential test set by the Code for Crown Prosecutors. The SFO’s confirmation comes after its press release dated 26 May 2023, in which it had said it charged Hartley with withholding information from an ongoing fraud investigation.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has confiscated 12 potentially luxury watches that are suspected to be linked to a care home fraud investigation. SFO officers, with assistance from Dorset Police, visited a home in Dorset where they seized watches worth over £500,000 if discovered to be authentic. This was part of an investigation into the UK registered property developer Carlauren Group, whose collapse into administration caused elderly residents to vacate their homes and more than 600 investors lose their money.

There has been a development in the Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) ongoing criminal investigation into Arena Television Limited and associated entities. On 16 December 2024, with assistance from the Metropolitan Police, the SFO arrested and questioned a man who was subsequently taken to a police station in West London. This action follows the initial announcement of the investigation on 23 February 2022, when the SFO, supported by the National Crime Agency, searched three sites and arrested two individuals.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has successfully opposed an application by former London Mining executives, Rachel Rhodes and Ariel Armon, to recover legal costs following the discontinuance of a long-running bribery prosecution. According to reporting by Law360, a LexisNexis company, Southwark Crown Court ruled that the defendants were not entitled to recover their costs from the SFO under section 19 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (POA 1985), despite the agency abandoning the case shortly before trial. The provision allows courts to order prosecutors to compensate defendants for losses resulting from unnecessary or improper conduct, but the threshold for such orders is high and generally requires evidence of serious prosecutorial impropriety.

MLex: The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said that it has not found any new evidence to cast doubt on previous convictions as part of its ongoing review of disclosure issues resulting from its software. This follows reports that evidence disclosed to a convicted individual as part of the review could be used in an appeal.

Law360, London: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced on 19 November 2021 that it has dropped its fraud investigation into Nisar Afzal, ending its 15-year pursuit of the British-Pakistani property tycoon.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has renewed its public appeal for information as it expands its ongoing investigation into the suspected multi-million-pound fraudulent timeshare services scheme. The investigation, which began in December 2024, now includes an additional five UK-based companies—Guardian Executives Ltd, McLaren Consultants Ltd, Prime Engagement Ltd, Regulat Consulting Group Ltd and Sparks Wiseman and Rafe Ltd—bringing the total under scrutiny to 24. SFO Director of Operations, Emma Luxton, stated that the investigation is progressing as new material is examined, helping to establish how the companies conducted their activities. She noted that the renewed public appeal represents an important stage in developing the investigation and urged anyone with information relating to the newly identified firms to assist the SFO. The agency continues to work with regional police forces and is seeking cooperation from potential victims nationwide to support its ongoing enquiries.