The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is not an investigative agency and will only bring cases to court that have been referred by the police or another Law Enforcement Agency.<\/p>
The Financial Conduct Authority has regulatory responsibility for payday lenders along with other financial institutions and may either investigate criminal conduct themselves or refer it to another agency or force, as appropriate.<\/p>
There has been recent publicity about the conduct of one particular payday lender, Wonga. It was widely reported that the Financial Conduct Authority are to refer a file to the police for consideration of whether a criminal investigation is appropriate. This followed the announcement that Wonga would pay £2.6 million in compensation, after sending letters from non-existent law firms to customers in arrears.<\/p>
The CPS Deputy Head of the Specialist Fraud Division has met with the City of London Police to discuss this case. City of London Police are the national police lead in substantial fraud investigations. At this stage, the police have still to consider whether a criminal investigation is required and no advice has been sought from the CPS. Any referral to the CPS will be made to the Specialist Fraud Division.<\/p>
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<\/p>
<\/p>
This case raises issues of constitutional significance, including upholding Parliament's intentions for the Freedom of Information regime and the Government's ability to protect information in the public interest. Litigation initiated by The Guardian<\/em> newspaper has taken place over a four year period including hearings in the Upper Tribunal, the High Court, and the Court of Appeal. Eight government departments have had to work together on the Government's response, at a total cost of £274,481.16 (exc VAT). These costs encompass all costs billed by the Treasury Solicitor, including Counsels' fees and disbursements. If we are successful in the next stage of legal proceedings the Government would seek to recover a substantial proportion of these costs from the Guardian.<\/p> <\/p>"}
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