U.K.'s Serious Fraud Office investigating Thomson for allegedly double-billing subscribers.Thomson Corporation's legal publishing The production of texts that report laws or discuss the Practice of Law. Originally limited to printed materials, legal publishing now encompasses electronic media as well, with most legal publications becoming available online or in CD-ROM format. division in Britain, Sweet & Maxwell, is under investigation by the U.K.'s Serious Fraud Office (SFO SFO (in Britain) Serious Fraud Office ) because of allegations that the company double-billed some of its clients. Dawn raids Dawn Raid The action of a firm or investor buying a substantial amount of shares in a company (making it a target firm) first thing in the morning when the stock markets open. This is done by a stock broker acting on behalf of a company. , at Sweet & Maxwells's offices and at the homes of some company directors, were carried out by the SFO and The City of London Police The City of London Police is the Home Office police force responsible for the City of London, including the Middle and Inner Temple. (The Metropolitan Police is responsible for the rest of London, excluding the railways and underground system, which are policed by the British on Thursday, January 20, 2005. A source with knowledge of the situation said the searches came after the SFO received allegations that Sweet & Maxwell sent out more than one payment reminder to some of its subscribers and received duplicate DUPLICATE. The double of anything. 2. It is usually applied to agreements, letters, receipts, and the like, when two originals are made of either of them. Each copy has the same effect. payments. An SFO spokesman said, "One of the criteria for the Serious Fraud Office to investigate suspected frauds is one million pounds or more. We are currently investigating Sweet & Maxwell, but it is impossible to say at this stage how long this will take." Sweet & Maxwell issued this statement: "The Serious Fraud Office and The City of London Police are investigating an allegation The assertion, claim, declaration, or statement of a party to an action, setting out what he or she expects to prove. If the allegations in a plaintiff's complaint are insufficient to establish that the person's legal rights have been violated, the defendant can make a in relation to Sweet & Maxwell. Sweet & Maxwell is cooperating fully to help facilitate this investigation." The statement continued, "Details of the allegation have not been made known to Sweet & Maxwell but the company believes it concerns certain subscription-related customer refunds. This is an issue the company had been addressing, and at this stage it would be inappropriate to comment further." No arrests have been made at this printing, and nobody has been charged in connection with the investigation. www.sweetandmaxwell.co.uk |
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