Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

  • September 19, 2024

    Google Accused Of Apple 'Stranglehold' In £7B Class Action

    A consumer champion bringing a £7 billion ($9.3 billion) class action against Google told a tribunal Thursday that the tech giant has maintained a "stranglehold" on Apple devices through an illegal exclusivity deal with the iPhone-maker.

  • September 18, 2024

    FCA Accuses 4 Of Textile Co. Pump-And-Dump Scheme

    Four businessmen connected to Worthington Group were accused by the Financial Conduct Authority at the beginning of a London criminal trial Wednesday of being involved in a scheme to artificially pump up the price of shares of the former textiles company while it was effectively insolvent.

  • September 18, 2024

    Google Fights To Ax £7B Apple Search Engine Abuse Case

    Google asked a tribunal on Wednesday to strike out a £7 billion ($9.25 billion) case alleging it abused its dominance by securing exclusivity for its search engine on Apple devices, arguing that the case against it must fail.

  • September 18, 2024

    Privinvest Says Missing Disclosure Made Fair Trial Impossible

    A shipbuilding company is seeking to dodge having to pay approximately $2 billion in damages awarded to Mozambique over a bribery scheme that wrecked the country's economy, urging a court to stay enforcement of the judgment to await the outcome of any appeal.

  • September 25, 2024

    CMA Consumer Protection Chief Joins Lewis Silkin

    Lewis Silkin LLP has hired a former director at the Competition and Markets Authority to boost its services for clients being investigated over their compliance with consumer regulations.

  • September 18, 2024

    Dutch Government Issues Tax Cuts In First Budget

    The new Dutch government issued its first budget since the 2023 elections, including plans to cut taxes on earnings and raise the limit on certain corporate tax deductions.

  • September 18, 2024

    Justices Say €450M RusChem Case Governed By English Law

    English courts had the jurisdiction to prevent a Gazprom subsidiary from pursuing a €450 million ($500 million) claim in the Russian courts against UniCredit Bank AG, Britain's top court said Wednesday as it delivered its reasons for halting the litigation earlier this year.

  • September 18, 2024

    Danske Bank Ends French AML Probe With $7M Settlement

    Disgraced lender Danske Bank said Wednesday that it has agreed to pay €6.33 million ($7 million) to French prosecutors to end a formal investigation into suspected money laundering involving transactions totaling €21.6 million.

  • September 18, 2024

    Qualcomm Gets Predatory Pricing Fine Trimmed To €239M

    A European Union court has pared back the penalty handed to Qualcomm for abusing its dominance by selling 3G baseband chipsets below cost, trimming it on Wednesday from €242 million ($266 million) to €238.7 million after finding that enforcers had not properly applied their own fining guidelines.

  • September 18, 2024

    Google Gets €1.49B Antitrust Fine Tossed In AdSense Case

    A European Union court on Wednesday annulled a €1.49 billion ($1.65 billion) fine against Google for abusing its dominance in markets for brokering online search advertising, saying the bloc's competition enforcer had not adequately weighed how long the contracts had been in place.

  • September 17, 2024

    BBC Backs Public Interest Value Of Tory Donor Bribery Claims

    The BBC has defended itself against a defamation claim from Mohamed Amersi, arguing that statements it made about the telecoms magnate and Conservative Party donor's connection to potentially corrupt deals were substantially true and in the public interest.

  • September 17, 2024

    Investors' Losses Were Caused By Own Failures, Firm Says

    A Liverpool-based law firm has denied claims it was negligent when advising investors on a real estate investment deal alleged to be a Ponzi scheme, arguing that investors' losses were caused by their failure to follow legal advice.

  • September 17, 2024

    Competitiveness Outranks Climate In New EU Commission

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shifted her focus from climate change to boosting competitiveness as she proposed her team of commissioners for the next five-year mandate Tuesday, handing out key jobs covering everything from competition enforcement to trade policy.

  • September 17, 2024

    Iveco Poland, Truck Distributors Fined $62M For Collusion

    A Polish antitrust authority has imposed a fine of 238 million Zloty ($62 million) on truck-maker Iveco Poland and 10 distributors of the vehicles for restricting competition for almost a decade by colluding to share the market between them.

  • September 17, 2024

    Crypto-Scam Victim's Loss Hands Tracing Lessons To Experts

    A recent decision that dismissed a claim brought by a victim of crypto-fraud against an exchange because of flaws in his expert evidence provides a warning for litigators that efforts to trace money will fail unless there is a clear digital trail.

  • September 17, 2024

    Crypto-Fraud Victim Sues Lawyers Over 'Valueless Advice'

    An alleged victim of a cryptocurrency fraud has claimed that a specialist investment law firm owes her £635,000 ($839,000) for providing "valueless advice" on how to recover her lost money.

  • September 17, 2024

    Lawyer Cleared Of Dishonesty Over Insurance Failure

    A solicitor was cleared of dishonesty on Tuesday after he was accused of lying to his insurer to hide the acquisition by his company of another firm's work and staff after his insurer refused to offer cover for the change.

  • September 17, 2024

    Swiss Seize $15M From Bank For 'Serious' Market Violations

    The Swiss financial markets regulator said Tuesday it has seized 12.7 million Swiss francs ($15 million) from Mirabaud & Cie SA after it ruled that the private bank had "seriously violated" the law and breached its anti-money-laundering obligations.

  • September 16, 2024

    Apple Ruling May Embolden EU's Tax Policing, Experts Say

    The European Court of Justice's ruling against Apple and Ireland last week runs contrary to its logic in a 2022 state aid ruling, potentially giving the European Commission a reason to think it can decide tax norms across Europe, tax experts said.

  • September 16, 2024

    Hospitality Sector Faces Almost £1B 'Tax Bombshell' In April

    Many companies in the hospitality sector are set to be hit with huge tax bills in April 2025 when business rates relief is phased out, an industry group said Monday.

  • September 16, 2024

    Jet Fuel Tax Could Raise Almost £6B A Year, Report Says

    HM Treasury could raise up to £5.9 billion ($7.8 billion) a year by imposing tax on jet fuel to match the duty paid by motorists, according to a think tank report published Monday.

  • September 16, 2024

    Solicitor Barred Over Scheme That 'Bore Hallmarks' Of Fraud

    A solicitor has been suspended for 12 months after he admitted to being involved in transactions that "bore hallmarks" of a suspected fraudulent scheme to scam companies by charging advance fees for loan deals that did not materialize.

  • September 16, 2024

    Lawyer Fined For Claiming Mishcon Represented Pinochet

    A high-profile criminal defense lawyer has been fined £6,500 ($8,600) by a disciplinary tribunal for making misleading statements about Mishcon de Reya in an antisemitic broadcast on an Iranian state-owned documentary channel.

  • September 16, 2024

    Apple App Developers Bid To Go Ahead In £785M Class Action

    A lawyer for a consumer advocate told Britain's antitrust tribunal on Monday that a proposed £785 million ($1 billion) claim by app developers against Apple over payments for commission should be allowed to go ahead as a class action.

  • September 16, 2024

    Global IT Outage Could 'Create New Types' Of Cyber-Cover

    Global IT disruption caused this summer by a botched update to CrowdStrike, the technology platform, might fuel calls for a more comprehensive form of cyber-cover, a financial consultancy said Monday, after businesses met with little success when they claimed on their policies.

Expert Analysis

  • Complying With EU Commission's Joint Purchasing Rules

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    One year after the European Commission released its revised guidelines on horizontal cooperation agreements, attorneys at Crowell & Moring reflect on the various forms such agreements can take, and how parties can avoid structuring arrangements that run afoul of competition law.

  • Tips For Implementing EU Sustainability Reporting Guidance

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    Lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell discuss the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group’s recently published guidance on double materiality assessments and offer takeaways on achieving a sustainability directive-compliant process that could enhance clarity and consistency among multinational stakeholders.

  • How CMA's AI Strategic Update Addresses Industry Risks

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    The Competition and Markets Authority’s recent artificial intelligence strategic update, setting out the regulator’s understanding of AI risks and how it intends to address them, is indicative of its focus on incumbent technology organizations, although future political developments in the U.K. may also shape the CMA's approach, say Christopher Foo and Carol Slattery at Ropes & Gray.

  • Labour's 'Fresh Approach' To Tackling Financial Crime

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    Given newly elected Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s background as a criminal defense lawyer and director of public prosecutions, an administration with strong views on financial crime can be expected, and revenue raising and proceeds of crime recovery are likely to be at the forefront, says Matthew Cowie at Rahman Ravelli.

  • What UK Digital Markets Act Will Mean For Competition Law

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    The new Digital Markets Act’s reforms will strengthen the Competition and Markets Authority's investigatory and enforcement powers across its full remit of merger control and antitrust investigations, representing a seismic shift in the U.K. competition and consumer law landscape, say lawyers at Travers Smith.

  • Examining The EU Sanctions Directive Approach To Breaches

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    In criminalizing sanctions violations and harmonizing the rules on breaches, a new European Union directive will bring significant change and likely increase enforcement risks across the EU, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.

  • What New UK Labour Gov't Is Planning For Financial Services

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    Following the Labour Party’s U.K. election win on July 4, the new government has already announced its key missions for economic growth, green investment and tax reform, so affected Financial Conduct Authority-regulated entities should be prepared for change and on the lookout for details, says Rachael Healey at RPC.

  • Companies Trading In The EU Should Heed Mondelēz Ruling

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    The European Commission’s recent €337.5 million fine of Mondelēz is the latest decision targeting restrictions on EU cross-border trade, and serves as a warning to companies active in the region to check their contracts and practices for illegal restraints, and to perform audits to ensure compliance, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

  • Why Reperforming Loan Securitization In UK And EU May Rise

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    The recently published new U.K. securitization rules will largely bring the U.K.’s nonperforming loan regime in line with the European Union, and together with the success of EU and U.K. banks in reducing loan ratios, reperforming securitizations may feature more prominently in relevant markets going forward, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Extension Of EU License Exemption Affects Subsidiaries

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    Since many European Union entities with a presence in Russia will soon need to obtain a license to continue providing certain services and software to Russian subsidiaries, organizations and legal professionals should prepare in advance and assess their companies' supply chain compliance with EU sanctions, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • What Legal Cannabis In Germany Means For Employers

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    Since April 1, the consumption and limited possession of cannabis has been permitted in Germany, so employers should take a few steps to maintain safe and productive workplaces while respecting the new legal landscape, says Sven Lombard at Simmons & Simmons.

  • What French Watchdog Ruling Means For M&A Landscape

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    Although ultimately dismissed due to lack of evidence, the French competition authority’s recent post-closing review of several nonreportable mergers is a landmark case that highlights the increased complexity of such transactions, and is further testament to the European competition authorities’ willingness to expand their toolkit to address below-threshold M&As, say lawyers at Cleary.

  • New Directors' Code Of Conduct May Serve As Useful Guide

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    Although the Institute of Directors’ current proposal for a voluntary code of conduct is strongly supported by its members, it must be balanced against the statutory requirement for directors to promote their company’s success, and the risk of claims by shareholders if their decisions are influenced by wider social considerations, says Matthew Watson at RPC.

  • Comparing EU, Southeast Asia Approaches To AI Regulation

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    Although Southeast Asian countries often adopt statutory frameworks similar to those in the European Union, the region’s more business-friendly approach to artificial intelligence regulation may be a setback to the EU’s push for coordination with its AI Act and a barrier to establishing a global standard, say Anne-Gabrielle Haie at Steptoe and Nop Chitranukroh at Tilleke & Gibbins.

  • Exploring The EU's Draft Standards On Crypto Authorization

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    The European Securities and Markets Authority’s recently published draft standards aim to promote fair competition and a safer environment for crypto providers and investors, detailing precisely the information to be provided to national authorities in charge of screening the acquisitions of a qualifying holding, says Mathieu de Korvin at Norton Rose.

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