Collection

SFO Criminal Case Costs

Cost information for cases closed for at least six months.

• From: Serious Fraud Office
• Published: 4 February 2026

We recognise the interest in our case costs. To ensure information is made available at a time that will not jeopardise our operational work, we have created a publication policy which balances transparency with security for our operational work.

The Serious Fraud Office publishes total costs in relation to cases which we have formally announced, which have been opened by the Director of the SFO under s.1(3) Criminal Justice Act 1987, and subsequently closed. A case is closed if:

1. the Director of the Serious Fraud Office has made the decision to end an investigation without bringing charges; or
2. charges have been brought and there are no extant legal proceedings. Where possible, case costs will be published within six months after closure.

We include prosecuting counsel, expert witness fees, court costs and travel costs plus any other external fees within our case costs.

Published 4 February 2026