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Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) Solicitors

If your company is the subject of an investigation by the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB), now part of the Insolvency Service, it is vital to seek legal advice from a solicitor experienced in this area, as soon as possible.

This way, you can ensure that your company’s interests are protected, right from the start.

Understand The Situation

The company or its directors may be prosecuted. Depending on the circumstances, they could receive a fine or a warning. However, if the case is of a more serious nature, the business could be closed down.

Necessary Knowledge

Your specialist solicitor will have the necessary knowledge, expertise and experience to ensure that the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) investigation causes minimal disruption to your business activities.

What is the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB)?

The Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) conducts investigations into limited companies when it receives complaints about serious corporate abuse, such as alleged misconduct, fraud, scams or trading irregularities.

It became part of the Insolvency Service in April 2006.

What does the law say about the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB)?

Company Investigations, as it is now known, gets its power to conduct these investigations through the Companies Acts.

After receiving a compliant about a limited company, Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) will decide whether or not it can investigate it, as well as whether it is the public interest to do so.

Are Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) investigations public knowledge?

Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) investigations are not carried out in public. However, this does not mean that your business will not be affected.

Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) can request information from your customers and your suppliers, as well as your own records.

As such, it is vital that if your business is the subject of such an investigation, you seek legal advice from a solicitor experienced in dealing with the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB), as early on as possible. Your solicitor can then ensure that the investigation runs smoothly and causes minimal disruption to your day-to-day business.

Will we be told why the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) is investigating us?

No. Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) investigations are confidential and as such, the company directors are not informed of the specific reasons as to why their company is being investigated.

Will we be told who complained to the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB)?

No. You will not be told who the complainant is. Neither will the complainant be told whether or not the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) has decided to conduct an investigation.

Will the person who complained be told of what was discovered during the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) investigation?

No. Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) investigations are confidential.

Is a Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) investigation a criminal investigation?

The powers the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) has to investigate are civil, not criminal. Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) investigations are a fact-finding exercise, not a criminal investigation.

If the investigation reveals that a criminal offence may have been committed, the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) may refer the case to the police, their Criminal Investigation Team or another regulator/investigation agency.

What happens after a Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) investigation?

The company or its directors may be prosecuted. Depending on the circumstances, they could receive a fine or a warning. However, if the case is of a more serious nature, the business could be closed down.

If the behaviour of the directors is “questionable enough”, the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) may begin proceedings to disqualify them from managing a limited company for a maximum of 15 years.

If an investigation shows “no cause for concern”, no further action will be taken.

Why do I need a solicitor experienced in Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) investigations?

Your specialist solicitor will have the necessary knowledge, expertise and experience to ensure that the Companies Investigations Branch (CIB) investigation causes minimal disruption to your business activities.

Your solicitor can also act on your behalf during interviews and, if necessary, during prosecution proceedings, to ensure you and your business come out with as little damage to your reputations as possible.

Client was on bail for assaulting his infant son. Social services reported the claim, but there was no evidence, only the mother’s statement that the boy was injured by evening. Client explained the injury occurred when the boy fell off a bouncy castle, which was confirmed by four family members. By obtaining statements and submitting them to the police, we demonstrated the lack of evidence, and the case was dropped with no further action.

My client was accused of historic domestic abuse allegations. The police provided written disclosure in advance of an interview, and we were able to go through this and provide a four-page statement detailing evidence to the contrary on each allegation. The statement and evidence provided was so detailed that the police had no questions to put to my client, meaning that the interview process was far less stressful than he envisaged.

Client was on bail for domestic abuse in relation to his wife. This had been dragging on for some time. We were able to obtain the particulars of the allegations from the police and then to go through them with the client. We were then able to obtain evidence that contradicted the allegations, including statements from friends, which showed that the allegations could not be true and so the police took no further action against the client. By obtaining case details, going through these with the client, speaking to witnesses and obtaining corroborative evidence, it was possible to show that the allegations were fabricated.

Client was a health care professional employed on an agency basis. There was a historic allegation made by a former client. We were able to obtain the particulars of the allegation from the police and then to set about obtaining evidence from witnesses who could cast doubt on the allegations and serve this evidence upon the police and push them for a swift resolution. The client had been on a lengthy period of police bail at the time he instructed us, and we were able to speed the process up, which was key as the client was unable to work and had no income during the lengthy period of bail.

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