The first solicitor prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for ‘tipping off’ a client about a money laundering investigation has failed in his appeal against conviction. In late 2023, Mr Osmond, now 72, was sentenced to nine months in jail, suspended for 18 months. Mr Osmond was co-founder and senior partner of London firm Osmond & Osmond, as well as its money laundering reporting officer. The fact that Mr Osmond had acted as a solicitor in relation to the transaction five years earlier was not enough, he submitted. The fact that the information about the SFO investigation came from the SFO does not assist the defence.”