Spring Law Spring Law Spring Law Spring Law
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Approach
    • Our People
  • Services
    • Dispute Avoidance
    • General Counsel Advisory Services
    • Risk & Litigation Ready Audit
    • Employment & Consultancy Arrangements
    • Merger & Acquisition Risk Profiling
    • Rep Control
    • Dispute Resolution
    • Business Disputes
    • Personal Disputes
    • Investigations
    • Intelligence
    • Public Sector
    • Risk Control
    • Disputes Management
  • Insights
  • Contact
Spring Law Spring Law
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Approach
    • Our People
  • Services
    • Dispute Avoidance
    • General Counsel Advisory Services
    • Risk & Litigation Ready Audit
    • Employment & Consultancy Arrangements
    • Merger & Acquisition Risk Profiling
    • Rep Control
    • Dispute Resolution
    • Business Disputes
    • Personal Disputes
    • Investigations
    • Intelligence
    • Public Sector
    • Risk Control
    • Disputes Management
  • Insights
  • Contact
Nov 27
Excavators in mining area

Law Society Seek to Intervene in SFO & Eurasian Dispute

  • 27 November 2017

The Law Society will seek permission to intervene in a landmark dispute between the Serious Fraud Office and mining company the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation which could reset the parameters of legal professional privilege.

The case, which is due to be heard by the Court of Appeal, is considered to be a crucial test in that it could result in internal documents relating to criminal investigations being handed over to prosecutors.

A high court ruling handed down in May, went in favour of the SFO. The watchdog, which has alleged bribery and corruption against ENRC, claimed that documents prepared for ENRC’s own internal investigation should not be covered by privilege.

ENRC, which strenuously denies the bribery and corruption allegations, said the High Court’s decision seemed to penalise it for responsibly taking steps to investigate the allegations so that it could properly understand what had happened and what should be done.

Joe Egan, president of The Law Society, said: “Without the protection of legal professional privilege, firms may find it difficult to conduct effective internal investigations. If the ruling is upheld, it potentially has the perverse effect of discouraging firms from self-reporting for fear of the consequences.”

“The right for anyone to communicate confidentially with their lawyer is a fundamental part of our legal system and we want to ensure that this right is protected for all of us, including corporations.”

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • E-Mail

Comments are closed.

Recent Posts

  • Scope of Business Interruption clauses in light of Covid-19 25 September 2020
  • Restructuring & Insolvency Update: Furlough schemes and the administration of companies 25 June 2020
  • Restructuring & Insolvency Update: The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill 15 June 2020
  • Commercial Loan Agreements: Does Covid-19 constitute a material change in circumstances? 1 June 2020
  • Vicarious liability for employee data breaches: the case of Morrison Supermarkets plc v Various Claimants 28 May 2020
LinkedIn icon
Crown Commercial Service Supplier logoAnnecto logoChambers UK logoThe Legal 500 UK logo

London | Chichester | Gibraltar

Pricing Complaints Legal Privacy Cookies

©2021 Spring Law Limited | Registered Company No. 5512395 | Website by Maroon Balloon & StudioMoo

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. For information on cookies and how we use them, please see our Cookie Policy