LONDON (Reuters) -A former senior police officer will take the helm of the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the crime-fighting agency that investigates and prosecutes major bribery and corruption cases,
in what one lawyer called a "bold move".
Nick Ephgrave, the former assistant commissioner at London's police force, will in September replace Lisa Osofsky, a dual U.S.-British citizen who has led the agency for five years, the Attorney General's Office said on Wednesday.
Ephgrave takes on an agency forced to abandon prosecutions because of disclosure failures, such as cases against executives at security companies G4S (CSE:G4S) in March and Serco in 2021 over prisoner-tagging contracts.
The SFO has also fielded sharp criticism from judges and a government-ordered review after serious missteps in the high-profile Unaoil bribery case led judges to overturn three convictions, dealing a sharp blow to the agency's morale.
Alison Geary, a partner at law firm Mishcon de Reya, said the appointment of a police officer, rather than a lawyer, to the top job was a "notable departure from tradition" but that his leadership experience would be welcome.
"The hope is that Nick Ephgrave can transfer the experience and expertise he has gained from the fast-paced world of the hardened suspects to the more nuanced, lengthy and often more complex challenges he will face in the corporate world," said Aziz Rahman, a partner at law firm Rahman Ravelli.
"His new beat will certainly present a whole new range of challenges."