Labour’s Shadow Solicitor General, Catherine McKinnell MP, has criticised Ministerial infighting over the way in which serious fraud and economic crime will be investigated and prosecuted in future, warning that the result will be the Coalition being soft on economic crime and international corruption.
Responding to media reports that the Home Office finally intends to confirm plans to break up the SFO this week, Catherine said:
“The continued uncertainty over the SFO’s future has already seen at least seven senior staff leave the organisation in recent weeks, with even its Director reportedly threatening to resign over the Coalition’s plans to split its investigation and prosecution functions.
“Fraud is not a victimless crime and costs the UK around £30billion a year. It is universally acknowledged that under the last Government we saw a leaner, faster SFO emerge able to investigate cases in half the time of previous years, whilst dealing with many more cases than it typically did five years ago. This has resulted in better results, both in terms of asset recovery and compensation for victims. This uncertainty puts all of that progress at risk.
“We need a Government that is fully focussed on tackling financial crime in the UK, and is committed to ensuring that Labour’s Bribery Act can be properly implemented to tackle serious corruption overseas which undermines our international reputation and has such devastating effects on developing economies.
“Instead the Home Secretary appears intent on pushing through a reform against internationally recommended practice, and I would be very surprised if the proposals were supported by Attorney General. The Coalition risks being soft on economic crime and international corruption and should be concentrating on what really matters – investigating and bringing fraudsters to book, not petty infighting.”
Notes:
1. BBC Business Editor, Robert Peston, reports ‘Lawyers no longer to front fraud probes’: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13469293
2. Shadow Solicitor General, Catherine McKinnell, raised the SFO’s future at the last oral questions to the Attorney General in the House of Commons (5th April) and subsequently wrote to the Attorney General on this issue: http://www.catherinemckinnell.co.uk/blog/?p=740
3. A number of questions relating to the future of the SFO have been selected for response by the Attorney General on Tuesday 24th May.