As regular observers of court proceedings, our experience is that the public access rights which flow from the principle of open justice are not always a practical reality. The most frequent and frustrating challenge we encounter in this regard relates to our requests for non-party access to court documents.
Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill has responded to the recent letter sent by Spotlight on Corruption and the other members of the Courts and Tribunals Observers’ Network pointing...
Today two men, Jeffrey Cook and John Mason, were acquitted of making corrupt payments between 2007 and 2012 in relation to a major bribery scheme involving UK government defence contracts...
Despite its much-touted commitment to open justice, the English court system can be difficult to navigate, even for experienced lawyers and seasoned reporters. For ordinary members of the public, trying...
On 29 December 2023, HM Courts and Tribunal Service published a guidance document entitled “How you can attend or access courts or tribunals”. This guide falls far short of delivering...
Giving his first public speech yesterday as the new Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Nick Ephgrave set out his stall for how the agency will become faster, bolder...
Spotlight on Corruption and partners have obtained a copy of the Mozambique “Tuna Bond” settlement agreement with Credit Suisse and 11 other financial institutions, exposing for the first time the...
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 the UK has taken long-needed steps to counter economic crimes including corruption and kleptocracy. This includes two Economic Crime Acts and a new Economic Crime Plan. While we welcome this important progress, the UK remains vulnerable in several critical areas.
