Powers for UK fraud agency to reward whistleblowers must be crafted carefully

By Martin Coyle ( October 13, 2026, 15:40 GMT | Comment) -- Government backing for calls by the UK's Serious Fraud Office to boost its enforcement capabilities by paying whistleblowers is a timely fillip for an enforcer looking to improve its reputation. But there is a long way to go in designing the regime against a backdrop of cultural suspicion in the UK of paying informants. Criticism of the country's financial regulator over its handling of a whistleblower, too, adds sensitivities around the issue.The UK's white-collar crime agency has been buoyed by government backing for it to strengthen its enforcement capabilities by paying whistleblowers, a move that could help the Serious Fraud Office improve its lackluster recent prosecution record....

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