Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware of any action by the Serious Fraud Office against major Russian shareholders of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
As and when criminal allegations are brought to the attention of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) they are assessed in the context of the SFO's statutory remit to investigate, and where appropriate, prosecute the top tier of serious or complex fraud, bribery and corruption cases, particularly where such offending is capable of impacting on the UK's and City of London's reputation as a safe place to do business. If appropriate, any relevant matters would be considered for criminal or civil investigation/recovery. However, in line with its normal policy, which is designed to safeguard the investigative process, the SFO can neither confirm nor deny whether or not it is taking some type of action against any Russian shareholders.
Whenever it is possible to release information without prejudice to an investigation the SFO will publish details on its website of cases formally adopted for criminal investigation.