The new director of the Serious Fraud Office, Nick Ephgrave begins his initial five-year term today.
His first week in the role will see him address the SFO’s staff and meet representatives from law enforcement agencies and international prosecuting authorities.
Ephgrave said: ‘Fraud wrecks lives and undermines the economy. I am committed to building the strong, dynamic and pragmatic authority the UK needs to fight today’s most heinous economic crimes.’
The new director is the first non-lawyer to head the SFO and will occupy in the role for an initial term of five years.
Ephgrave previously served as assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service and chief constable for Surrey Police. Most recently, he was chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Criminal Justice Co-ordination Committee, and held roles on the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee and at the Sentencing Council.
An HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate report into the organisation, released earlier this year, found the SFO was on the ‘right track’ to tackling some of its problems and acknowledged it had made improvements in its handling and progressing of cases.
Speaking at the time, HMCPSI’s chief inspector Andrew Cayley KC said: ‘The SFO has had a mixed performance record in recent times, experiencing some high-profile case failures while also achieving several major successes.
There is still more work to be done but I am confident that with strengthened management processes and more direct challenges by senior management, case progression outcomes will vastly improve.’
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