SFO Deferred Prosecution Agreements
This page contains copies of the Deferred Prosecution Agreements and supporting information for each of the SFO's twelve DPAs agreed to date.
A UK Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) is an agreement reached between a prosecutor and an organisation which could be prosecuted, under the supervision of a judge.
The agreement allows a prosecution to be suspended for a defined period, provided the organisation meets certain specified conditions.
DPAs can be used for fraud, bribery and other economic crime. They apply to organisations, never individuals.
The key features of DPAs are:
- They enable a corporate body to make full reparation for criminal behaviour without the collateral damage of a conviction
- They are concluded under the supervision of a judge, who must be convinced that the DPA is ‘in the interests of justice’ and that the terms are ‘fair, reasonable and proportionate’
- They avoid lengthy and costly trials
- They are transparent, public events
DPAs were introduced on 24 February 2014, under the provisions of Schedule 17 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013. They are available to the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office. A Code of Practice for Prosecutors was published jointly by the SFO and CPS on 14 February 2014 after a public consultation.