When the SFO calls

Professional advisers such as accountancy firms and lawyers are very often among the first ports of call as and when the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) (or indeed other bodies with investigatory powers such as the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (DBERR)) begin any enquiry into potential fraud or inappropriate conduct. Requests for documents and witness interviews may be made at very short notice and at an early stage of the investigation; it is wise to be prepared, say Andrew Scott and Andrew Forsyth of Barlow Lyde & Gilbert.

Andrew Forsyth: +44 (0)20 7643 8098, aforsyth@blg.co.uk

There are various reasons why it is important that a request by the SFO for information or documents is properly assessed and correctly dealt with from the outset: