Law and the Justice System

Former subpostmaster and campaigner Alan Bates has said he will pursue private prosecutions against those responsible for the Horizon IT scandal if the inquiry does not pass a file to prosecuting authorities.

The inquiry resumed this week with Mr Bates giving evidence and on Friday he told the Times he would be willing to crowdfund criminal action against those responsible at the Post Office.

Six years on from the UK government introducing Unexplained Wealth Orders as a new law enforcement tool to combat ‘dirty money’, Commercial Litigation and Fraud partner Pia Mithani spoke to City AM’s Ben Lucas about their relative lack of use by the UK’s authorities to date.

https://www.stewartslaw.com/news/why-are-uwos-so-unpopular/

A woman who stole money from online fundraisers, set up after the toppling of Edward Colston's statue in Bristol four years ago, took around £70,000 in total, police say.

Now "penniless", a court has ordered Xahra Saleem to pay back a nominal amount of £1.

Police have obtained a Confiscation Order under the Proceeds of Crime Act against Saleem, who was jailed for two-and-a-half years last October after pleading guilty to one count of fraud.

The UK must use new laws to ensure online platforms have a legal responsibility to protect users from an “avalanche” of scams, a coalition of groups has warned the Government.

The 17 consumer and business groups and authorities have urged the Government to include scams in its proposed Online Safety Bill – which could be announced in next week’s Queen’s Speech – to protect consumers from their “devastating financial and emotional harm”.

More than £20,000 in ill-gotten gains will be repaid by the director of a Wolverhampton letting agency who was jailed for defrauding tenants.

After a trial Bhavander Singh Sanghera, of Walsall, was sentenced to 28 months in jail for fraud and banned from acting as a director of any business in 2022 for eight years relating to the operations of his property company.

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/crime/2024/04/03/letting-agency-boss-must-repay-almost-22k-for-fraudulent-actions/

A company accountant jailed for defrauding hundreds of thousands of pounds from his employer over three years has been ordered to hand over £77,000 under proceeds of crime legislation.

John Brown, 61, of Cumbernauld, was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment in March 2023 for defrauding £275,000 from Farmfoods Ltd over a three-year period between 2015 and 2018

International ministers are set to agree new action to take down fraudsters as the first ever Global Fraud Summit begins today.

Home Secretary James Cleverly will discuss the threats posed by organised crime groups, and how global law enforcement can tackle it, during a series of meetings with senior ministers and representatives from the G7, Five Eyes, Singapore and South Korea, at Lancaster House.

Fraud is the most common type of crime – 38 per cent of all crime committed in England and Wales last year was fraud. It costs money, weakens our economic security and ruins lives.

Last night, I welcomed ministers from the G7 and Five Eyes countries, global law enforcement agencies, tech companies and industry partners to Guildhall as part of the government’s Global Fraud Summit.

Now fraud might not hit the headlines all that often, but that does not mean it is any less damaging to the victims. The government estimates that fraud costs society £6.8bn. That’s money saved by families for that special holiday or by a business looking to expand. Fraud is not a victimless crime, and we should not treat it as such.

https://www.cityam.com/fraud-isnt-a-victimless-crime-and-we-mustnt-treat-it-as-though-it-is/

A care worker from the Essex border has been ordered to pay back over £40,000 after she falsely claimed money for shifts she didn't work. Ann Nelson, of Farm Road, Rainham, was found guilty of fraud by false representation and two additional offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act last month (February 19) at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/rainham-care-worker-claiming-money-9150484

Companies House implements robust measures, including enhanced data checks and criminal penalties, to combat fraud and misinformation

In a ground-breaking move, Companies House has initiated the first phase of implementing new powers granted by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCT Act) on March 4, 2024. Aimed at enhancing data quality and curbing misuse of the companies register, these measures signify the most significant change in Companies House's 180-year history.