Law and the Justice System

The total volume of fraud cases heard in UK Crown Courts was 226 cases in 2023, up from 221 cases in 2022, according to KPMG UK’s Fraud Barometer.

KPMG found that the total value of fraud hit £992.9mn in 2023, a slight decrease from £1.1bn the previous year.

https://www.ftadviser.com/your-industry/2024/02/16/more-fraud-cases-over-100k-reaching-crown-courts/

An English judge faces jail after being convicted of involvement in a scheme to defraud almost £2 million from the legal aid system.

Rasib Ghaffar, 54, a barrister and part-time immigration tribunal judge, conspired to inflate legal fees and work claimed for in 2011 and 2012 together with Gazi Khan, 55, legal clerk; Azar Khan, 52, solicitor advocate; and Joseph Kyeremeh, 73, solicitor.

Fraud costs UK businesses billions of pounds every year.

The Government has been asked to set out how it is tackling the use by Iran and other state actors of UK-registered companies to avoid sanctions.

The head of the Business and Trade Committee said that foreign powers are abusing systems like the Companies House database, which all UK companies are registered to.

The UK Government has announced it is retaining the Digital Economy Act of 2017 following a statutory review of the legislation.

The Cabinet Office said the act, which introduced a legal gateway for data sharing between public bodies to reduce fraud, has saved taxpayers at least £137 million from more than 100 pilot projects between 70 local authorities and 17 government departments or agencies.

The UK government has been urged to do more to crack down on fraud after new data showed the number of high-value criminal cases reaching the courts has stayed flat despite a sharp rise in fraud.

UK crown courts heard 226 fraud cases last year compared with 221 in 2022, according to new figures from KPMG’s Fraud Barometer, which tracks cases worth £100,000 and above. KPMG recorded 298 such cases in 2021, a 66 per cent increase from 2020.

Kathleen Crane had endured an ‘appalling experience’ after being wrongly convicted of fraud as part of the Post Office scandal.

A former subpostmistress who was convicted of fraud based on evidence from the Post Office’s faulty Horizon IT system has had her conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal.

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2024/01/25/former-subpostmistress-who-suffered-in-silence-has-conviction-quashed/

Jurors were discharged in a trial involving nine defendants charged with multiple fraud and money laundering offences.

A £700,000 fraud trial can continue without jurors after reports of jury tampering, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2024/01/24/judge-can-continue-fraud-trial-without-jury-court-of-appeal-rules/

The head of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has said he is ready to put the agency’s new powers to use to help investigate and prosecute fraudsters.

The prosecutors new investigative powers, which come into force today, allow the agency to collect information and evidence before an investigation is opened.

Sir Keir Starmer is set to unveil plans to “restore standards in public life with a total crackdown on cronyism”.

The Labour leader will reveal his blueprint on Thursday that could see people who defraud the government face going to jail for more than 10 years.

A convicted benefits fraudster, who orchestrated a decade-long scheme to cheat taxpayers out of at least £1.7 million, has been ordered to repay more than £2m or face a nine-year prison sentence, reported the MailOnline.

https://www.easterneye.biz/authorities-order-benefits-fraudster-to-repay-2m/