On August 24, 2023, the Serious Fraud Office (“SFO”) in London, U.K., dropped its 10-year investigation into Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (“ENRC”) and long-time Larson client, a former ENRC executive, stating that there was “insufficient admissible evidence” to prosecute.
ENRC was a public, multinational natural resources corporation involved in the mining, energy, and logistics sectors globally, and listed on the London Stock Exchange. The SFO initially launched the investigation into ENRC and members of its executive leadership team in 2013, focusing on meritless allegations that ENRC violated the U.K. Anti-Bribery Act to obtain mining contracts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The investigation sparked a decade of litigation, including litigation over allegations of misconduct by the SFO, the misuse of private information obtained during the investigation, and an array of cross-border legal issues. The company’s executive was represented by Larson’s White Collar Defense and Government Investigations team, led by Stephen Larson, David Byrne, Inga Ludewig, Paul Rigali, counsel Daniel Lahana, and associate Anissa Ghafarian.
Read the full article by Richard Crump on Law360 here (subscription required).