UK's Serious Fraud Office appoints interim boss

LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Britain's Serious Fraud Office said on Thursday that Graham McNulty would take over in early April as interim director to lead the investigator and prosecutor.

McNulty, a former senior police officer who joined the SFO as chief operating officer in September 2024, will take over on April 6 from Nick Ephgrave, who is retiring after two and a half years in the role.

"It is a tremendous privilege to lead the Serious Fraud Office," McNulty said, adding that he aimed to build on recent progress at the agency.

McNulty has overseen the rollout of the SFO's first case management system and its adoption of new technologies, including further uses of artificial intelligence.

Before joining the agency, he spent 31 years in policing, including senior roles tackling serious and organised crime, economic crime and major investigations.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General's office said McNulty would stay in the role until a permanent appointment is made, which would be announced in due course.

Ephgrave, the first non-lawyer to run the SFO and a former senior police officer too, said in January he would retire at the end of March after 38 years in public service.

When he took over at the SFO, it was facing criticism over abandoned prosecutions because of disclosure failures.

He said the agency had made significant progress during his tenure, citing faster cases, improved disclosure using AI and the creation of a crypto-asset capability.