On 20 March 2025, enforcement authorities in the UK, France and Switzerland announced the creation of the International Anti-Corruption Prosecutorial Taskforce. The taskforce is comprised of:
- The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
- France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (Parquet National Financier, or PNF).
- The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG).
In its founding statement, the taskforce declared that the three national agencies “stand firm” in their commitment to tackling bribery and corruption within the national and international legal frameworks. Companies falling within the remit of these agencies’ jurisdictions, including US companies operating in Europe, should continue to maintain robust anti-corruption programmes.
Purpose of the Taskforce
The formation of the taskforce follows over a decade of close operational collaboration among the countries. The taskforce will deliver, amongst other things, a leaders’ group focused on the regular exchange of insight and strategy, a working group for the purpose of devising proposals for co-operation on cases and increased initiatives for sharing best practices.
By combining their resources and expertise, the expectation is that the three countries will be able to more efficiently tackle the threats of international bribery and corruption.1 This is consistent with recent statements by the PNF and SFO that international cooperation remains a central component of their enforcement policies and will continue to increase. (For more on how international cooperation has been a cornerstone of the PNF’s recent approach, see our 20 February 2025 client alert “Annual Report Highlights France’s Financial Crime Enforcement and International Cooperation.”)
What This Means for Companies Conducting Business in Europe and Beyond
The founding of the taskforce comes just over a month after President Donald Trump issued an executive order on 10 February 2025 directing a pause on enforcement under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). (Read our analysis.) However, SFO Director Nick Ephgrave has stated that “this taskforce is in no way a reaction to” the FCPA enforcement pause.
While the future of US FCPA enforcement remains uncertain, the creation of the taskforce signals that European authorities will become more involved in leading multijurisdictional bribery and corruption cases.
The agencies comprising the taskforce could decide to utilise to an even greater extent laws with extraterritorial effect that are already part of their national legal frameworks (e.g., the UK’s Bribery Act 2010 and France’s Sapin II law). Other enforcement agencies may also join the taskforce.
Therefore, it will be particularly important for European companies — including those operating outside the UK and European Union, as well as non-European companies that conduct business in Europe — to stay on top of corporate governance and compliance practices.
Companies should continue to carefully assess their current anti-bribery and corruption compliance programmes, including their risk assessments, policies and procedures, and training programmes.
____________________
1 See, SFO press release of 20 March 2025, “UK, France and Switzerland Announce New Anti-Corruption Alliance,” Tribunal de Paris press release of 20 March 2025, “Déclaration Commune Avec le Serious Fraud Office et le Parquet Général de la Confédération Helvétique” and OAG press release of 20 March 2025, “UK, France and Switzerland Announce New Alliance To Tackle Bribery and Corruption Threat.”
This memorandum is provided by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and its affiliates for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. This memorandum is considered advertising under applicable state laws.