Former FBI Lawyer Appointed as Head of Serious Fraud Office

Lisa Osofsky, former lawyer for the FBI has been appointed as the new head of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and will take up the position on the 3rd September. In a statement today, the Attorney General's Office said Lisa Osofsky will take over the reins from interim director Mark Thompson. 

 

Lisa Osofsky said: 'I am honoured to be the next director of the SFO. I look forward to building on the SFO's successful record in the fight against economic crime and leading an emboldened SFO to even greater heights.'

 

Mark Thompson said Osofsky has had a career focused on financial crime in both law enforcement the private sector and law enforcement roles.

 

Osofsky joins from Exiger, a financial crime, risk and compliance company, where she was a managing director. She was also formerly deputy general counsel at the FBI.

She is also a UK registered barrister having been called to the bar in 1997.

 

Christopher David, counsel in the UK investigations & criminal litigation practice at international firm WilmerHale, said "the appointment was an interesting and – judging by the wealth of speculative commentary– somewhat controversial choice".

 

'Top of her agenda will be to determine exactly where the SFO fits once the National Economic Crime Centre is established,' David said. He added that Osofsky's support for Theresa May's long-held ambition to merge the agency into the National Crime Agency, not to mention her previous experience at the FBI, 'does not augur well for the SFO's independence'.

 

Amaee, former head of anti-corruption at the SFO, said "he expects Osofsky to steer the SFO to be 'ever more aggressive' in targeting proceeds of crime and suspected money launderers by tapping into the government's apparent commitment to deal with what it sees as illicit money in the UK, including making use of new unexplained wealth orders".

 

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Blain Boland Solicitors