Government wants to restore faith in Britain’s businesses by shaking up corporate crime laws January 13, 2017 The government has unveiled plans to get tough on corporate crime in an attempt to hold businesses to account for any unscrupulous behaviour. The Ministry of Justice is concerned the bar is set too high for proving criminal offences such as fraud, money laundering and false accounting, meaning many prosecutions are successful. "Companies must be held [...]
Volkswagen agrees to $4.3bn settlement with US regulators and pleads guilty in diesel emissions scandal case January 11, 2017 German car giant Volkswagen has agreed to a $4.3bn (£3.5bn) settlement with US regulators to resolve civil and criminal investigations into its diesel emissions scandal. US prosecutors also charged six Volkswagen executives and employees for their roles in the almost 10-year conspiracy, according to documents made public today. In 2015 it was discovered that Volkswagen-manufactured [...]
Clinton is off the hook over her private email. Are we right to question the role of her political celebrity? July 8, 2016 The results are in, and people are outraged. And I’m not talking about Brexit. Across the pond, a far less transparent phenomenon has occurred. After many months of anticipation, the FBI has finally recommended against charging Hillary Clinton for using a private server to host her correspondence while she was secretary of state. In legal [...]
Fintech boss Rajesh Agrawal named as deputy mayor for business and enterprise June 29, 2016 Fintech entrepreneur Rajesh Agrawal has been named as the new deputy mayor for business and enterprise. Agrawal, chief executive of Rational FX and online money transfer platform Xenday, was named to the position by London mayor Sadiq Khan earlier today. Khan has tasked Agrawal with protecting jobs and growth while trade negotiations with the European Union and other countries take place. Agrawal said: Having run my [...]
Draconian extreme pornography laws should be whipped into shape, new Adam Smith Institute report argues May 25, 2016 A think tank has called for the government to scrap its "ineffective" and "absurd" extreme pornography laws in a report released today. The new study from the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) claims the laws can be used to incriminate thousands of innocent people, particularly gay men, and are a "blunt tool" for enforcing presumed moral values [...]
MPs set to vote on Magnitsky legislation which would see assets of human rights’ abusers frozen February 20, 2017 The House of Commons will vote tomorrow on the Magnitsky legislative initiative which seeks to freeze the UK assets of alleged human rights violators from anywhere in the world. The initiative is presented as an amendment to the Criminal Finances Bill which was introduced to the parliament last October to strengthen and improve the enforcement of [...]
Why conveyancing is where it’s at for legal eagles, but bad luck if personal injury is more your focus June 13, 2016 Fees for lawyers with a head for conveyancing were as safe as houses last year, research out today has found. According to the study by chartered accountants Hazlewoods, fees for law firms which specialise in residential conveyancing rose by 15.4 per cent on average in 2015, while those specialising in commercial conveyancing also received a 8.7 per cent boost [...]
Now London must “take back control”, says London mayor Sadiq Khan June 28, 2016 Following the UK's vote to leave the EU, Sadiq Khan has said that the capital needs to "take back control" to protect "jobs, wealth and prosperity". Speaking among business leaders to demand more autonomy for London, Khan said that further devolution would be to the benefit of the whole country. "As much as I might like the [...]
Meeting adjourned: Public Accounts Committee slams Home Office representative for turning up to meeting about confiscation orders seemingly underprepared April 18, 2016 The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) criticised "disappointing" progress on confiscation orders today, before adjourning a meeting early after a Home Office representative did not appear ready to discuss previously agreed points. The PAC took evidence from Mark Sedwill, permanent secretary at the Home Office, Mick Creedon, chief constable of Derbyshire Police and national lead officer for Serious and Organised Crime, [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland has set aside another £3.1bn for US settlements January 26, 2017 Royal Bank of Scotland today confirmed that it has set aside a further £3.1bn to pay fines relating to the issuing and underwriting of US residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). However, shares in the group were up almost two per cent in early trading. The bank said this takes the total sum it has provided for [...]