Today's announcement comes after an-ongoing investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into BAE that dates back to the 1990s.

VOA: standard.2009.10.01

Polly Peck International, once a major UK company, collapsed in 1990 after a Serious Fraud Office investigation.

BBC: Tories refuse to repay Polly Peck donations

The lack of urgency in the U.K. response it was U.S. regulators that first launched the investigation and the U.K. Serious Fraud Office only decided last week to open a criminal investigation has deepened those suspicions.

WSJ: U.K. Must Restore Confidence in London

The charges follow a 15-month investigation by the Serious Fraud Office and City of London Police.

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