Partner Chris Roberts has provided comment in City AM and Law360 on the announcement that director of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, Nick Ephgrave, will step down two and a half years before his first term was due to finish.

Commenting on this decision, Chris said: “This is clearly a surprise and comes at a time when the SFO had become more assertive, after the tenure of the previous director. This was in no small part due to Mr Ephgrave seeming to ‘take a grip’ of the SFO, identifying issues such as the length of time investigations were taking and setting targets for improvement.”

Highlighting the opportunities for Ephgrave’s successor, Chris commented: “Whilst Mr Ephgrave’s early departure was obviously unexpected, this now sets the stage for a new Director to take advantage of the work that has been put in – prosecuting the new failure to prevent fraud offence, implementing the revised approach on Deferred Prosecution Agreements and continuing Mr Ephgrave’s robust approach to opening new investigations.”

Chris continued: “It did seem that 2026 was poised to be a significant year for the SFO, with several trials listed – it remains to be seen whether the initial momentum built up will be carried forward by the new Director.”

Chris’ comments were published in City AM and Law360, 15 January 2026.