With the UK now no longer part of the EU, and EU law ceasing to apply at the end of the current transitional period, the
Continue Reading Sanctions: Despite Post-Brexit Limbo, UK Finally Introduces Magnitsky Law

Legal Advisers for a Changing World
Barry Vitou is Co-Chair of the Global White Collar Criminal Defense Practice and head of London’s White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice, advising corporations and individuals in connection with compliance, pre-investigations, investigations, and prosecutions conducted by numerous law enforcement agencies. Barry frequently represents clients under investigation by U.K. and U.S. law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, including the U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the Financial Conduct Authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Barry regularly appears on television and radio, discussing the topics of corruption, money laundering, and the UK Bribery Act.
With the UK now no longer part of the EU, and EU law ceasing to apply at the end of the current transitional period, the…
Continue Reading Sanctions: Despite Post-Brexit Limbo, UK Finally Introduces Magnitsky Law
Ursula von der Leyen, the new president of the European Commission, has called for ‘new proposals to ensure Europe is more resilient to extraterritorial sanctions…
Continue Reading EU Sanctions: European Commission President Pushes for Greater Resilience, Proper Enforcement
The UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), the body tasked by the UK Treasury to administer and enforce financial sanctions in the UK, has…
Continue Reading OFSI Finds Its Teeth While OFAC Continues to Enforce Against Non-U.S. Corporates
The UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has issued its long-awaited guidance on corporate co-operation. For the first time in one place, the SFO has…
Continue Reading ‘Above & Beyond’? Serious Fraud Office Issues Corporate Co-Operation Guidance – Part I
The UK government’s Anti-Corruption Newsletter for Summer 2019, supported by ‘Anti-Corruption Champion’ John Penrose, MP for Weston-super-Mare, covers the latest developments in anti-corruption over…
Continue Reading Beware of Strangers Bearing Gifts: UK ‘Business Integrity Initiative’ Aims to Support the Anti-Corruption Efforts of SMEs
On 4 July 2019 at Southwark Crown Court, Mr Justice William Davis formally approved the fifth Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) entered into by the UK’s…
Continue Reading The Serco Deferred Prosecution Agreement: A Lesson in Pragmatism
It has been over a year since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force – and it did so with great fanfare. The…
Continue Reading 2 Intent-to-Fine Notices in 2 Days by UK Information Commissioner for GDPR Violations; Amounts Total £282 Million
On 30 May 2019 the SFO issued a press release announcing that Carol Ann Hodson, the former director and owner of a company named ALCA…
Continue Reading M&A Deal Flushes Out Bribery Scheme Leaving Seller Director with a Multi-Million Pound Hangover and Jail Time
With the U.S. cannabis market reported to be worth around $10 billion, sales in Canada expected to reach $6.5 billion by 2020, and the UK…
Continue Reading Roll Up, Roll Up: ‘Cannabis Inc.’ Is Open for Business, but UK Investors Must Wait Their Turn