Compliance Radar
Who was sanctioned, and for what?
Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe and North America: 756 cases from 32 jurisdictions, each with an official source and checked against that source before publication. Filter by country, area of law and sector. Click a chart to drill down one level.
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Where?
by authority- Serious Fraud Office (SFO) €11.8m 94 % · 2 cases
- HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) / Export Control Joint Unit €706,898 6 % · 1 case
- Leeds Crown Court; Ermittlungen HM Revenue & Customs — 0 % · 1 case
What for?
by area of lawAll areas of law
Who?
by companyWhen?
per quarter, by date of decision| Period | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2023 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2023 | 0 | — |
| Q1 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q2 2024 | 1 | €143,988 |
| Q3 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q1 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q2 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2025 | 1 | €706,898 |
| Q1 2026 | 1 | — |
| Q2 2026 | 1 | €11.6m |
| Q3 2026 | 0 | — |
4 cases
1 May 2026 Ultra Electronics Holdings Limited (vormals plc)Ultra Electronics: DPA of around 10.1 million GBP over bribery in Algeria and Oman €11.6m
The British defence supplier failed to prevent bribery by agents in connection with three public contracts in Oman and Algeria (including a contract with the Omani Ministry of Transport worth up to 200 million GBP). The DPA approved by Southwark Crown Court provides for a penalty of 10,083,150 GBP; in addition, the company is bearing around 4.8 million GBP of the SFO's investigation costs and must report on its compliance programme for three years.
Companies that use agents for government contracts must be able to demonstrate adequate procedures – otherwise the company is liable under Section 7 Bribery Act even without any intent to bribe on its own part.
Use of sales agents in public contracts
- Authority / court
- Serious Fraud Office (SFO)
- Area of law
- Bribery and corruption · Bribery of public officials
- Legal basis
- Section 7 Bribery Act 2010 (Failure to prevent bribery); Deferred Prosecution Agreement
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Defence and security
- Culpability
- intentional
- Mitigating circumstances
- Self-report of the Algerian matters in 2018; restructuring of ownership and leadership; 45 % discount on the penalty.
- Published
- 1 May 2026
Original amount 10,083,150 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 30 Apr 2026.
- SFO secures £10m from British defence supplier Press release of an authority
- SFO DPA with Ultra Electronics Holdings Limited (formerly plc) Decision of an authority
- Serious Fraud Office v Ultra Electronics Holdings [2026] EWCR 4 (Approved Judgment, 1 May 2026) Court decision
- SFO-Ultra Indictment (Crown Court at Southwark) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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6 Feb 2026 Company boss jailed: military thermal imaging rifle scopes to Hong Kong Custodial sentence
A company director from Wakefield attempted to export eight thermal imaging rifle scopes classified as military goods (ML1d) to Hong Kong without a licence, declaring them as cheap cameras; Border Force stopped consignments in 2022 and 2023, and a search, following investigations by HM Revenue & Customs, revealed ten further exports. Leeds Crown Court sentenced him to two years and one month's imprisonment.
False descriptions of military goods lead directly to personal criminal liability of management.
- Authority / court
- Leeds Crown Court; Ermittlungen HM Revenue & Customs
- Area of law
- Sanctions and export control · Export control and dual-use goods
- Legal basis
- Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, ss. 68, 167; UK Military List ML1d; Waffenembargo China/Hongkong
- Action
- Custodial sentence
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Defence and security
- Culpability
- intentional
- Liability of senior managers
- The director Steven Gates was personally sentenced to 2 years and 1 month's imprisonment.
- Published
- 19 Feb 2026
- NTE 2026/03: company director jailed for illegal export Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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1 Dec 2025 British exporter pays 620,515 GBP for unlicensed exports of military goods €706,898
In September 2025, an unnamed British exporter paid a compound settlement of 620,515.04 GBP to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for unlicensed exports of military goods. HMRC offers such settlements only for unintentional breaches or weaknesses in internal controls and following voluntary disclosure (date = publication).
Weaknesses in internal export control become expensive even without intent – disclosing breaches early can avoid prosecution.
Classification of goods and licensing requirements for military goods
- Authority / court
- HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) / Export Control Joint Unit
- Area of law
- Sanctions and export control · Export control and dual-use goods
- Legal basis
- Export Control Order 2008
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Defence and security
- Culpability
- negligent
- Mitigating circumstances
- Voluntary disclosure (prerequisite for the compound settlement)
- Published
- 1 Dec 2025
Original amount 620,515.04 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 1 Dec 2025.
- NTE 2025/31: UK exporter pays compound settlement for breaches of export controls Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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12 Apr 2024 Former MoD official jailed for 30 months – bribes from consultants €143,988
A British Ministry of Defence official seconded to a defence contractor accepted more than 70,000 GBP (44,000 GBP in cash and two cars) in return for commissioning work from offshore consultants. He was convicted of misconduct in public office and sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment, with a confiscation order of 123,000 GBP; the associated company GPT had already pleaded guilty in 2021.
Kickbacks for consultancy contracts expose public servants and suppliers alike – contract awards require a four-eyes principle and conflict-of-interest declarations.
Kickbacks in the engagement of consultants
- Authority / court
- Serious Fraud Office (SFO)
- Area of law
- Bribery and corruption · Bribery of public officials
- Legal basis
- Misconduct in public office (Common Law); Proceeds of Crime Act (Confiscation)
- Action
- Custodial sentence
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Defence and security
- Culpability
- intentional
- Liability of senior managers
- The former MoD official Jeffrey Cook was personally sentenced to imprisonment.
- Published
- 12 Apr 2024
Original amount 123,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 12 Apr 2024.
- Former MoD official jailed for taking £70k in kickbacks Press release of an authority
- SFO: Former MoD official convicted for taking £70k in secret kickbacks (6 March 2024) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link