SFO Publishes New “Comprehensive Guidance” on Deferred Prosecution Agreements

The UK Serious Fraud Office has published a chapter from its internal Operational Handbook that offers “comprehensive guidance” on how it approaches Deferred Prosecution Agreements, and how it “engages with companies where a DPA is a prospective outcome.” In the United Kingdom, a DPA is a court-approved agreement between a company and a prosecutor “where it is in the public interest,” allowing a prosecution to be “suspended for a defined period” provided the organization meets certain conditions.