Economic crime investigations

There are several early steps that can be taken to clarify the scope of the matters that require investigation and to protect an organisation’s position. Early consultation with experts in investigations can help to avoid common pitfalls, enable you to manage the situation and decide whether a formal investigation is needed.

Potentially. It is possible for employees to investigate matters. Often, however, there are benefits to involving external third parties - they can bring with them specific expertise and a degree of distance and impartiality that can be particularly useful in these scenarios.

Potentially. For example, if your organisation is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority there may be an obligation to report at an early stage. Similarly, other sector regulators may also require early notification. In some circumstances, it may be necessary to report to the National Crime Agency. With other authorities, there may be a good reason to report, even where not strictly obliged to do so. We can talk you through the specific obligations, depending on your organisation’s position.

This issue often involves a careful balancing act between, on the one hand, informing and making enquiries of a sufficient number of people to ensure that an effective investigation can be conducted and, on the other, protecting confidentiality so far as possible. This can be a sensitive exercise and one that is difficult to manage. Often a clear Terms of Reference and Investigation Plan can be key to navigating a route through.

We offer a tiered approach that can enable your team to do more, with our support, where appropriate. In more significant cases we can take control. This means our service is tailored to your needs from the outset.

We can host a secure site for you. This enables stakeholders to access the material they need at any time and provides an up-to-date picture on the status of the investigation, the decisions made, the costs incurred, and next steps.