Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many referrals the CPS received from the National Crime Agency for charging decisions under the Money Laundering Regulations in each of the last three years.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The number of referrals the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Specialist Fraud Division (SFD) has received from the National Crime Agency (NCA) for charging decisions under the Money Laundering Regulations for the last three years are as follows:
CPS data is available through its Case Management System (CMS) and associated Management Information System (MIS). The CPS collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. The CPS does not break down figures that constitute official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
However, the CPS is not able through either CMS or MIS to breakdown referrals to differentiate whether they were made by the police or other investigative organisations in England and Wales. On this occasion we have been able to provide the data because of a recent manual review, so whilst we have endeavoured to produce figures that are as accurate as possible, this data is subject to human error.
The official statistics relating to crime and policing are maintained by the Home Office and the official statistics relating to sentencing, criminal court proceedings, offenders brought to justice, the courts and the judiciary are maintained by the Ministry of Justice.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many (a) company self-referrals, (b) whistleblower, (c) victim, (d) professional advisory, (e) competitor and (f) other referrals have been made to the Serious Fraud Office in each financial year between 2015-16 and 2020-21.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) receives a large number of reports and referrals from multiple different sources relating to a wide range of offences. Whistleblower referrals have been routinely published in the SFO Annual Report on Whistleblowing Disclosures since 2017. The figures are set out below:
The SFO does not hold a detailed breakdown of the number of referrals within each of the other categories requested. However, the total number of all other referrals made to the SFO within the time period requested are set out below:
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the decision making process within the Serious Fraud Office on whether to open, continue or close a criminal investigation into a corporate entity.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has robust assurance processes in place to ensure effective decision-making on whether to open, continue, or close a criminal investigation into a corporate entity. This includes the SFO’s Case Evaluation Board (CEB) and Case Review Panels (CRPs), both of which are chaired by the SFO General Counsel.
The CEB reviews intelligence submissions against the Director’s Statement of Principle and assesses strategic and tactical risks, costs, and resource implications to make an informed recommendation to the Director on whether to initiate or decline an investigation. CRPs seek to scrutinise all cases at least twice a year to ensure that sound judgement and appropriate investigative and legal expertise are being used in cases, and that cases are progressing appropriately and comply with all relevant legal and operational guidance.
While the SFO exercises independence in its individual casework decisions, I am regularly updated by the Director and her senior leadership team on the SFO’s casework.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what the Serious Fraud Office’s conviction rate was for (a) individuals and (b) corporations in 2020-21.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO), by its specialist nature, takes on a relatively small number of large, complex economic crime cases which can take several years to investigate. This means that small changes in case numbers can lead to significant fluctuations in in the SFO’s conviction rate.
Against this context, in 2020-21 the SFO’s conviction rate for individuals was 67 percent, which included three convictions in the $1.7bn Unaoil bribery case and one guilty plea in the Petrofac bribery case. No corporations were brought to trial in 2020-21. The SFO also secured two Deferred Prosecution Agreements against corporates in 2020-21, returning £47.4m in fines and penalties to the UK taxpayer and compelling these organisations to reform.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, whether he has had a discussion with the Director of the Serious Fraud Office on a renewal or extension to the five-year appointment to that post.
Answered by Michael Ellis
I have had no discussions with the Director of the Serious Fraud Office on a renewal or extension to the five-year appointment to that post, which is not due to come to an end until August 2023.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what progress he has made on his plans to take forward a prosecution for bribery and corruption in the case of GPT Special Project Management Ltd.
Answered by Geoffrey Cox
This case is being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office which investigates and prosecutes allegations of the most serious or complex fraud, bribery and corruption. These allegations are challenging to investigate. Their investigation is handled with great care and this necessarily takes time. This case is particularly complex and the investigation is still ongoing. For this reason, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on it.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussion he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on proposals to reform the law on corporate liability for economic crime.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Call for Evidence on Corporate Criminal Liability for Economic Crime contained a number of different options for reform, including a proposal to extend the failure to prevent offence to wider economic crimes other than bribery or tax evasion. The Government’s response is expected to be issued in 2019.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, if he will provide an update on the status of the case of the Serious Fraud Office investigation into allegations concerning GPT and the conduct of its business in Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
Progress continues to be made on the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation into allegations concerning GPT and aspects of the conduct of their business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, as was the position in June 2017, it would not be appropriate for me to discuss the status of a live criminal investigation further at this stage.
When it is appropriate to do so the SFO publish updates on the status of the GPT case on their website. The most recent information can be found at: www.sfo.gov.uk/cases/gpt-special-project-management-ltd/.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, if he will provide an update on the status of the case of the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton's constituent, as detailed in the letter of 14 December 2016 on the Serious Fraud Investigation into allegations concerning GPT and the conduct of its business in Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
Progress is being made on the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation into allegations concerning GPT and aspects of the conduct of their business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, as was the position in December 2016, it would not be appropriate for me to discuss the status of a live criminal investigation further at this stage.
When it is appropriate to do so the SFO publish updates on the status of the GPT case on their website. The most recent information can be found at: www.sfo.gov.uk/cases/gpt-special-project-management-ltd/.