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Ross Dixon in Law Society Gazette on SFO’s proposal to pay fraud whistleblowers

20 Jan 2025

Business Crime partner Ross Dixon has been quoted in a Law Society Gazette article examining some of SFO director Nick Ephgrave’s public pronouncements.

Since taking up the post in September 2023, Mr Ephgrave has advocated – among other things – for paying whistleblowers in high value fraud matters, saying “the benefits outweigh the disadvantages”.

But Ross warned this may not be a “silver bullet” for prosecutors. “For a potential whistleblower themselves at risk of prosecution, the promise of full immunity may be more attractive than a financial reward,” Ross said.

“[…] either way, incentivising a whistleblower to cooperate can seriously damage their credibility as a witness when it comes to a trial.”

The LSG article also considers the future for Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) which, after a very quiet period, Mr Ephgrave has said will be back “with a bit of a vengence”.

The full article is here.



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