Serious Fraud Office joins global anti-corruption alliance

This strategic alliance builds on the SFO’s recent establishment of a Task Force with French and Swiss authorities to tackle international bribery and corruption.

Based within the National Crime Agency (NCA), the IACCC brings together specialist law enforcement officers from agencies around the world to tackle allegations of grand corruption that span multiple jurisdictions.

Organisations with a proven intention to fight domestic and international corruption can be considered for membership, with the SFO gaining enhanced access to key partners in the fight against grand corruption involving politically exposed individuals.

The partnership will boost the SFO’s capacity to gather intelligence and evidence on companies and individuals suspected of corruption overseas, while maintaining full control over its investigations.

Step forward

Nick Ephgrave QPM, director at the SFO, said: “This is another step forward for the SFO and further demonstration of our determination to use every power and partnership we can to confront the threat of bribery and corruption.”

Ephgrave continued: “This membership will bring us closer to global law enforcement and strengthen our intelligence gathering capabilities on those companies and individuals engaged in international bribery and corruption.”

The SFO recently issued new guidance to companies on their responsibilities to report suspected criminality.

Rob Jones, director-general of operations at the NCA, stated: “We welcome the SFO’s membership of the International Anti-Corruption Co-ordination Centre. Its membership will assist the collective effort of supporting overseas partners with hugely important investigations into grand corruption.”

Freezing of assets

Since its launch in 2017, the IACCC has helped to identify over £1.8 billion of suspected stolen assets, supported the freezing of nearly half of those assets in various global jurisdictions and assisted with the arrest and charging of a significant number of suspects involved in high-profile investigations in over 40 separate countries.