Archive for June 27th 2012

What to do next if the inspector calls – dawn raids and unannounced visits

Last month it was reported that the SFO had not conducted any ‘dawn raids’ in the 12 months to 31 March 2012, a statistic which compares dramatically with the average of around 50 a year in the three preceding years. The reason for the impasse has been attributed to the implications of mistakes made in the Tchenguiz brothers investigation but this has been denied by the SFO. Whatever the reason, such news serves as a reminder of the investigator’s favoured technique of acting without prior notice to obtain evidence from a suspect or custodian of material that might be relevant to an investigation.