PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Fraud: Coronavirus (26 January 2022)

To ask the Attorney General, how many ongoing investigations are underway at the Serious Fraud Office to recover public money lost to fraud and economic crime from the emergency covid-19 support schemes.

Asked by:
Pat McFadden (Labour)

Although no investigations have been formally announced, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is investigating a number of suspected fraudulent applications for COVID loans.

In order to protect the investigative process, it is not always possible, or even desirable, for investigative bodies such as the SFO to announce investigations prematurely, or provide any details of the matters under investigation. The SFO proactively publishes information about its cases on its website whenever it is appropriate

SFO investigations follow the evidence, and their focus or scope may change as an investigation advances. The number of staff working on a specific case will fluctuate throughout an investigation’s lifecycle and will depend on factors such as the complexity of the allegations being investigated, and intelligence gathered or provided.

Answered by:
Alex Chalk (Conservative)
2 February 2022