Deferred prosecution

The Ministry of Justice has outlined its final legislative proposals on deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs). These will now be put forward as amendments to the Crime and Courts Bill currently before Parliament, and could be in law early next year. DPAs are intended to tackle fraud, money laundering and bribery, which cost the UK billions of pounds each year.

They are an agreement between a prosecutor and an organisation to defer prosecution as long as stringent conditions are met. These conditions may include financial penalties, reforms of working practices and the making of amends to victims.