New SFO Director reaffirms her intentions and priorities for the agency.
By Stuart Alford QC, Nathan Seltzer, and Christopher Ting
Fifty days have passed since Lisa Osofsky took over at the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), pledging to be a “different kind” of director. In her first days, Osofsky set out her priorities for the agency, which included:
Improved cross-border coordination- Improved corporate engagement
- Continued use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements
- Use of technology in investigations
This blog post will analyse what Osofsky has accomplished since joining the SFO, including her first major strategic decision, a further explanation of her priorities, and key personnel changes.
ENRC Appeal
In her first major strategic decision for the SFO, Osofsky decided not to appeal the ruling in Director of SFO v Eurasian National Resources Corporation to the Supreme Court. On 5 September, the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court decision in favour of the SFO’s interpretation of legal professional privilege and reaffirmed the boundaries of litigation privilege if litigation is reasonably in contemplation. Amidst speculation that the SFO would further appeal that judgment, Osofsky issued a statement on 2 October that the SFO would not take the decision to the Supreme Court.
On 3 September 2018, in her first speech, after only one week as head of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Lisa Osofsky laid out her plans for the agency.
The announcement that Lisa Osofsky has been appointed as Director of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) likely signals new strategic directions for the agency. For the past six years, the SFO has been led by David Green QC, who stepped down from his position in April. In this blog post, Latham partner and former Head of the Fraud Division at the SFO, Stuart Alford QC, provides five predictions for the SFO’s strategic priorities under Osofsky.