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Bribery & Corruption

United Kingdom

This section includes initiatives by the SFO, NCA, TI UK, UK Government among others.

UK Bribery Act 2010
Department for International Trade (DIT)
Serious Fraud Office (SFO)
Transparency International UK
National Crime Agency – International Corruption Unit (ICU)
UK Govt Anti-Corruption Strategy

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UK SFO returns over £400,000 to 9 victims of a 2001–02 global email advance-fee  fraud, using a groundbreaking civil recovery approach that repays stolen funds directly rather than to the Treasury

January 8, 2026

UK SFO has announced that it has successfully recovered and will return more than £400,000 to nine individuals defrauded by an international email scam nearly 24 years after the offence, despite no conviction having been secured. It used civil recovery and worked with multiple international partners—such as the Australian Federal Police, Belgian and French authorities, and the FBI—to locate victims and secure consent, representing a significant development in returning proceeds of crime directly to victims rather than to the Treasury…

UK SFO and IFBT publish ‘Foreign Bribery Indicators’ identifying red flags like secretive transactions, complex intermediaries, offshore structures, and unexplained wealth to curb illicit cross‑border corruption

December 19, 2025

This reference document sets out typical behavioural and transactional indicators that may signal foreign bribery, including use of third-party agents, unexplained routing of funds, inflated commissions and disproportionate entertainment or gifts. It is intended to assist reporting entities, compliance teams and law-enforcement partners in recognising potential foreign bribery risks early and improving the quality of reporting and subsequent investigation…

UK Govt publishes 2025 Anti-Corruption Strategy, expanding the Domestic Corruption Unit, tightening ML/TF oversight and launching an Ethics & Integrity Commission to protect public sector integrity

December 11, 2025

The strategy commits to expanding and resourcing the City of London Police’s Domestic Corruption Unit with £15 million in new funding, enhancing vetting and integrity checks across policing, prisons and border services, and holding corrupt public-sector actors and “professional enablers” to account through tougher enforcement and sanctions. It also introduces over 100 measures…

UK NCA publishes a Case study showcasing its role in helping Kenya’s EACC expose and prosecute Migori County corruption, recover diverted public funds, and boost cross-border anti-corruption efforts

December 9, 2025

The case study shows how coordinated intelligence sharing, financial-analysis support and joint investigative planning enabled Kenyan authorities to trace illicit proceeds, strengthen evidentiary packages and accelerate domestic prosecutions and asset-recovery actions. It demonstrates the value of international partnerships in complex corruption cases, particularly where cross-border financial flows, foreign-held assets and specialist forensic expertise are critical to identifying and recovering public funds…

UK Home Office’s report on ‘Assessing Evidence Base of Domestic Corruption’ finds that while corruption is a recognised policy concern, limited data and fragmented research hinder effective policy-making

December 8, 2025

The report shows that while law-enforcement cases, regulatory findings and academic studies reveal corruption risks in areas such as procurement, planning, policing, local government, regulated professions and financial services, the evidence base is uneven, fragmented and often dependent on case-driven insights rather than systematic monitoring. It concludes that the UK needs stronger, more consistent data collection, clearer definitions, better cross-agency coordination and targeted research to understand the scale, drivers and enablers…

UK Home Office’s report on ‘Approaches to Recording Corruption and Monitoring Intervention’ reveals that while countries use various methods to track corruption, most lack robust evaluation of anti‑corruption strategies

December 8, 2025

The publication reviews a range of global frameworks including national corruption surveys, administrative data on bribery and enforcement outcomes, and publicly available indices highlighting strengths such as granularity, multi-stakeholder input and responsiveness to emerging trends. It concludes that better integration of administrative, perceptual and sector-specific data, alongside clearer definitions and more consistent methodologies, would enhance the accuracy, comparability and policy relevance of corruption…

UK Home Office’s Survey on Public Perceptions of Corruption shows growing public concern over corruption, driven by doubts about political integrity, public-sector conduct, and influence of money in politics

December 8, 2025

The research finds that although most people have limited direct experience of corruption, they believe it is widespread, particularly in areas involving political influence, procurement, lobbying, and the behaviour of senior officials — with trust closely tied to transparency and accountability. It also shows that the public has a varied and sometimes incomplete understanding of what constitutes corruption, highlighting the need for clearer communication, stronger integrity standards and more visible enforcement to restore confidence in public institutions…

UK SFO secures conviction of AOG Technics Director for fraudulently selling aircraft engine parts with forged documents, triggering serious global aviation safety risks

December 1, 2025

Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, director of London-based AOG Technics, pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to operating his company for fraudulent purposes by falsifying origin and status documentation for CFM56 aircraft engine parts used on Boeing and Airbus jets. The SFO’s investigation, conducted with Portuguese authorities, revealed that from 2019 to 2023 these forged parts were sold to airlines, maintenance operators and suppliers worldwide, prompting safety alerts and temporary grounding of affected aircraft…

GRECO Compliance Report finds the UK has bolstered anti-corruption safeguards through stronger independent investigations, enhanced transparency for senior officials, and tighter police vetting

November 27, 2025

GRECO concludes that eight of its twelve recommendations from the Fifth Round evaluation have been satisfactorily implemented, with a further three partly addressed and only one not yet implemented. The report highlights reforms such as strengthened powers for the adviser on ministers’ interests to investigate breaches of the Ministerial Code, improved transparency and updated declarations of interest for senior officials, and comprehensive integrity and disciplinary reforms across police services…

UK SFO’s updated Guidance on Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programmes integrates the new ‘failure to prevent fraud’ offence and spotlights 6 scenarios from prosecution decisions to DPA eligibility and monitorships

November 26, 2025

The updated guidance outlines six scenarios in which SFO may assess a company’s compliance programme — including prosecutions, deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs), monitorships, potential “adequate/ reasonable procedures” defences under anti-fraud and anti-bribery legislation, and as a factor in sentencing decisions. It aims to provide greater transparency for organisations on how compliance-effectiveness will influence prosecutorial and remedial choices, and encourages companies to ensure that their compliance frameworks are well-designed, effectively implemented, documented and capable of evolving to meet enforcement standards…

UK SFO launches its first major cryptocurrency fraud investigation, probing a collapsed scheme called Basis Markets, which reportedly raised about US $28M via NFTs and token sales

November 20, 2025

The SFO, working with Metropolitan Police and West Yorkshire Police, has arrested two men on suspicion of fraud and money laundering following coordinated raids in London and West Yorkshire targeting Basis Markets, which raised funds through NFT and token sales in late 2021.The investigation seeks to trace the flow of roughly $28 million raised from investors — funds that may have been misrepresented, misused, or diverted — underscoring rising enforcement against unregulated crypto schemes…

TI-UK’s report Safeguarding Football from Illicit Finance warns that opaque ownership and weak due diligence leave UK football exposed to ML, urging stronger transparency and source-of-funds checks

October 25, 2025

The report responds to the Independent Football Regulator consultation and emphasises the need to integrate football governance into the UK’s broader economic-crime architecture, noting the sport’s vulnerability given the UK’s role as a destination for £100 billion in laundered funds annually. It outlines key criteria for the gatekeeper role — identifying all persons who may influence or control clubs, applying enhanced integrity….

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