The Financial Crime Compliance research interest group brings together academics from across Law and Business, as well as lawyers and financial services professionals with a view to:
- producing research outputs
- designing and implementing teaching materials
- providing and hosting seminars, conferences and workshops
- designing tailored financial crime compliance awareness training
Research
Our research interest group is interested in the full range of financial crimes including money laundering, fraud, corruption and financial misconduct. Additionally we have expertise in regulatory compliance. Members of the group are currently researching:
“Hiding the beneficial owner and the proceeds of corruption” supported by the FDCO-funded Global Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence (ACE) Programme.
“Strengthening counter fraud provision across the NHS in England” (SCAN), a project funded by the NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme (HDSR).
The project aims to answer the following research question:
How is counter fraud currently delivered within the NHS in England and how could this provision be reorganised and strengthened to reduce negative impacts on public trust, quality of care and losses within NHS budgets?
In addition, the group supports the work of the Counter Fraud Professional Accreditation Board (CFPAB).
Please see Activities and Publications for details of research outputs by the group.
Policy
The group seeks to inform policy and has responded to consultations by the Law Commission, the EU Commission, HM Treasury and others. They also organised the Law Commission’s consultation and closing symposium into the law on confiscation in Part 2 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 on behalf of the University.
Group convenor and main contact: Dr Sue Turner
Harvey J. and van Duyne P (2025) Corrupt Elites and Godfathers in Nigeria: Structural Impunity and the Undermining of Accountability pp. 193-223 in Golsbarsht, D, de Koker, L and Ferrill J., (Eds) The Financial War on Crime and Terrorism Opportunities and Challenges, European Yearbook of International Economic Law Special Issue: The Financial War on Crime and Terrorism, Opportunities and Challenges, springer
van Duyne P and Harvey J. (2025) Corruption in Nigeria: indifference and neglect. Trends in Organized Crime. 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12117-025-09574-4
Harvey, J., Sproat, P., Turner, S., and Ward, T. (2025) ‘Can FATF’s Focus on Beneficial Ownership Aid Anti-Corruption Efforts in a ‘Low-Capacity’ Country? Challenges from the Front Line in Nigeria’ Chapter in Azinge-Egbuiri, N., Esoimeme, E., and Ryder, N., Global Anti-Money Laundering Regulations: Developing Countries’ Compliance Challenges Routledge, London https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003253808
Sproat, P., Ward, T., Harvey, J., Turner, S., Shehu, A. and Bello, (2024) ‘A Non-Conviction Based Asset Recovery in Nigeria – An Additional Tool For Law Enforcement Agencies?’ pp. 21-44 in de Koker, L and Golsbarsht, D (Eds) Financial Crime, Law and Governance, Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice 116, Springer, Switzerland https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-59547-9_2
Griffiths, C., Doig, A., Harvey, J., Benson, K., & Lord, N. (2024). New development: From blanket coverage to patchwork quilt—rethinking organizational responses to fraud in the National Health Service in England. Public Money & Management, 44(3), 271–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2023.2270175
Ms Sue Turner, Professor Tony Ward, Dr Peter Sproat, Mr Jonathan Bainbridge and Professor Jackie Harvey, Transnational Criminal Law: A Case Study of the International Anti-Money Laundering Framework as applied in Nigeria, a Case of Smoke and Mirrors. Second International Research Conference on Empirical Approaches to AML and Financial Crime Suppression, held virtually on 27, 28, and 29 January 2021
The Law Commission’s Closing Symposium following the review of the law on confiscation in part 2 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, November 2020
P Sproat, J.Harvey, S.Turner, ‘Can banks contribute to the fight against trafficking?’ Human Trafficking: Criminal Law Conference, Northumbria University, 16 October 2019
J.Harvey, S.Turner, C. Mitford and P. Sproat, ‘Tactical tinkering or radical re-imagining: fixing the flaws in the AML/TF regime.’ North East Fraud Forum, Annual Conference. 15 November 2018
The Law Commission’s consultation to discuss a review of the law on confiscation in Part 2 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, November 2018
Panel: Unexplained Wealth Orders: Are they a useful addition to the law enforcement armoury? At the Northumbria University Business & Law Doctoral and Faculty Research Conference, June 2018
CRIME STORY – Saturday 19 May 2018, Northumbria Law School
