Fraud office changes approach after case failures

The SFO’s general counsel said the agency needed to focus on the bigger picture
The SFO’s general counsel said the agency needed to focus on the bigger picture
ALAMY

The Serious Fraud Office will focus on the “bigger picture” when conducting investigations after the collapse of several prominent cases.

Sara Lawson
Sara Lawson

Sara Lawson, QC, general counsel responsible for all cases at the agency, said yesterday that the investigator was changing its approach to conducting investigations.

“We are trying to focus on the main issues, and not investigate every single little bit of evidence for where it might take us. We need to keep our eye on the bigger picture and where it is all leading,” she told an anti-bribery compliance conference.

The SFO is responsible for tackling high-level and complex fraud, bribery and corruption. Convictions fell to a three-year low last year. In the ten cases that concluded in the year to March, only 17