The latest round-up of prosecution news from the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) includes news of additional government funding for a new asset confiscation enforcement team, the conclusion of the investigation into Bombardier Inc. and the initiation of a new investigation into suspected bribery and corruption involving the multi-national aviation and defence electronics group Thales.

The latest round-up of prosecution news from the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) includes news that Nick Ephgrave faces the toughest challenge yet as he marks a year at the helm of the SFO, that the SFO has expanded its existing criminal investigation into Ultra Electronics Holdings Limited, that the agency has recovered a further £295,000 from two pension funds belonging to a convicted fraudster and news of recent changes to making fraud referrals.

This month’s round-up of prosecution news from the UK's leading corporate fraud and corruption prosecutions agency includes news that Petrofac Limited has indicated its intention to plead to bribery charges, that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has secured increased confiscation orders against Silinder Singh Sidhu and Paul Kent, and that a new investigation has been opened into a £150m investment scheme.

The latest round-up of prosecution news from the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) includes news that six former Glencore employees have charged with conspiring to make corrupt payments, of the confiscation of 12 luxury watches that are suspected to be linked to a care home fraud investigation and of a speech delivered by the Interim Chief Capability Officer at the Cambridge International Symposium on economic crime.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has issued an update on its ongoing review of e-discovery software usage. The SFO has addressed an 'encoding issue' in its current OpenText Axcelerate system and is investigating potential search term construction problems in its previous Autonomy Introspect software. An initial review of all relevant Autonomy cases has been completed, with priority given to cases involving custodial sentences. While no material undermining conviction safety has been identified thus far, further enquiries and potential re-running of searches are ongoing in some cases. The review process is being overseen by a dedicated senior working group with independent input from the Attorney General's Office and His Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI).

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has updated its case page on its investigation into Patisserie Holdings PLC. All four of the defendants pleaded not guilty on all charges at Southwark Crown Court on 26 April 2024 and a trial date is set for March 2026.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has confirmed that its review of 66 historic conviction cases involving its legacy Autonomy e‑discovery system is nearly complete and that no material casting doubt on the safety of any past conviction has been found. Only three cases remain under review, and the SFO has contacted all defendants where possible to share the review process and findings with them. The SFO has also begun further reviews after identifying a separate issue in November 2025 affecting how some digital container files were expanded, which may have impacted approximately 20 cases. The SFO reports that one of the further cases reviewed showed no evidence of missed material, and steps are under way to review the remaining cases. It continues to engage with the Attorney General’s Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. The SFO confirms that the issue does not affect its current e‑discovery system and will provide a further update once the reviews conclude.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has published its annual report and acccounts for 2024–25, covering the period from 1 April 2024–31 March 2025. The report highlights that the agency opened eight new investigations, conducted four major multi-site operations, and brought charges against 11 people across two cases. Notably, the SFO secured over £1.3m in proceeds of crime recovery and executed its first unexplained wealth order. Additionally, an international anti-corruption taskforce was established with French and Swiss authorities.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has published its annual report and accounts for 2025–26, covering the period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. During the period, the SFO announced 5 criminal cases, conducted 7 searches across 24 premises, arrested 14 individuals and charged 10 suspects across 4 cases, securing £2.89 million in proceeds of crime. The SFO made its first use of new powers to freeze cryptocurrency assets and its first Unexplained Wealth Order, recovering £1.1 million from the sale of a property. The 'failure to prevent fraud offence' came into force in September 2025, with the SFO publishing new corporate cooperation guidance in April 2025 confirming that self-reporting corporates can expect to be invited to negotiate a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) rather than face prosecution. A review of 66 historic conviction cases using the legacy Autonomy e-discovery system found no material casting doubt on the safety of past convictions. A separate issue affecting approximately 20 cases is under review. Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit outturn was £87.91 million against a funding allocation of £104.95 million. No DPAs were concluded in-year, while a DPA with Ultra Electronics Holdings Ltd was approved on 28 April 2026, requiring a £10.08 million financial penalty plus £4.80 million in investigation costs. Graham McNulty QPM was appointed Interim Director following Nick Ephgrave's retirement in April 2026.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has published its 2026–27 Business Plan, marking the midpoint of its five-year strategy and outlining how it will invest in intelligence and technology while strengthening international partnerships to combat complex fraud, bribery and corruption, supported by £8.3 million in additional funding. The plan sets out that the SFO will invest in proactive intelligence to improve the speed and precision of investigations, deliver a 2026 Disclosure Improvement Plan and progress towards UKAS accreditation for digital forensic activities. It will also relocate to new premises in Canary Wharf to support closer collaboration with regulatory partners and contribute to wider UK criminal justice reform, including the delivery of the UK Anti-Corruption Strategy. In addition, the SFO intends to explore new artificial intelligence (AI) opportunities by launching a new AI roadmap, strengthening crypto asset investigation capabilities and using automation to streamline translation and transcription processes. It also plans to implement its first case management system during the financial year. The SFO will further host the International Anti-Corruption Prosecutorial Taskforce Economic Crime Conference in May 2026, bringing together global law enforcement and prosecution agencies to share best practice and enhance co-operation.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has published its Business Plan 2025-2026, outlining initiatives to implement new powers under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act. The plan includes preparation for the 'failure to prevent fraud' offence starting September 2025, development of a whistleblower incentivisation scheme and implementation of Technology Assisted Review systems that accelerate document review by 40%. The SFO has also established a new taskforce with Switzerland and France to address international bribery and corruption.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has published its Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPA) with Bluu Solutions Limited (BSL) and Tetris Projects Limited (TPL). Both DPAs were approved by the Crown Court at Southwark in a judgment of 9 July 2021. The terms of the DPA between the SFO and BSL include a financial penalty of £1,527,641 and disgorgement of profit of £466,430. The terms of the DPA between the SFO and TPL include a financial penalty of £377,997 and disgorgement of profit of £137,997.