They can be Serious
13 September 2012
Legal column
The Serious Fraud Office is unique in the UK criminal justice system. This article outlines the development of the body that investigates and brings to trial our biggest frauds.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) was created under the Criminal Justice Act 1987 and came into being in April 1988. At the same time, all UK fraud squads became part of fig, the Fraud Investigation Group, which works under the Crown Prosecution Service.
The impetus for the 1987 Act was the Fraud Trials Committee Report (Roskill Report), which savaged the system...