Michael O'Kane

Sanctions on wealthy figures linked to Russia are Kafkaesque

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Since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, the UK, US, EU and other jurisdictions have imposed a plethora of sanctions on Russia, including on business figures who are believed to have links with the Kremlin. In the UK, a designated person can challenge their designation, first to the minister who made the designation and, if […]

Trial and error

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According to the Office of National Statistics, fraud accounts for 40% of crime committed against individuals in England and Wales, making it the most common type of crime. If nothing is done, this figure is likely to increase. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is responsible for addressing high-level fraud and related offences. However, notoriously lacking […]

How the deal to free Julian Assange was agreed

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Yesterday, after having agreed a plea deal with US authorities, Julian Assange left a US court in Saipan, in the Mariana Islands, a free man. This latest development brings to an end this long-running saga, including 13 years of self-imposed confinement and detention in a UK prison for the WikiLeaks founder. Nick Vamos, who has […]

Charlotte Tregunna

FCA busts suspects in £1 billion illegal crypto asset business

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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), working with the Metropolitan Police Service, conducted and operation to arrest two individuals suspected of running an illegal cryptoasset exchange. The regulator said that more than £1 billion of unregistered cryptoassets are believed to have been bought and sold through this business. During searches at two London properties, the police […]

Peters & Peters

Low pay for UK financial crime prosecutors hits efforts to hire top talent

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The Financial Times discusses in this article how the pay for financial crime prosecutors in the UK is low in comparison to their private sector counterparts, making it less desirable for lawyers in the private sector to consider moving unless the public sector can demonstrate that there is non-monetary value to be gained.   This […]

Assange v USA — where are we now?

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In this LexisNexis Corporate Crime analysis, Nick Vamos and Adam Wawrzynski consider the extradition case of Julian Assange, how the case arose in 2010, its background, the current stage of the appeal and next steps, the main ground of appeal, and what, if any, impact a successful appeal would have. Please note that the article […]

Mike Lynch acquittal turns spotlight on UK-US extradition deal

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Last week, a US jury acquitted Mike Lynch, one of the UK’s former leading tech entrepreneurs, of fraud. He spent around one-third of his 12-year legal battle fighting extradition to the US. His case has fuelled criticism of the extradition arrangements between the UK to the US, with critics calling them “desperately unfair” and too […]

Assange can appeal extradition to U.S., British court rules

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Earlier this week, the High Court ruled that Julian Assange could appeal his extradition to the US. In this last episode of the long-running battle that the WikiLeaks founder has been fighting against the 2022 extradition decision made by then Home Secretary Priti Patel, the judges gave him until tomorrow to submit a full case […]

Peters & Peters

Viewers confused by small detail in Red Eye first episode

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The first episode of Red Eye, a thriller that first aired last month on ITV, had viewers glued to their seats. On landing in Heathrow, the main character is extradited straight to China for a crime that he claims he did not commit, having been denied a phone call or any form of legal representation. […]

Serious Fraud Office reviews cases after software problems

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The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched a review of its cases after discovering issues with software used in evidence disclosure. According to the Financial Times, the agency has told the defendants in all affected cases about the issues, which affected its ability to search for relevant terms of evidence. It added that a solution […]