Justice and Recovery: Lessons from the SFO’s Global Forestry Investigation

Last week, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) secured confiscation orders against Andrew Skeene and Omari Bowers, the former directors behind Global Forestry Investments. It’s the latest chapter in a high-profile fraud case that continues to raise important questions about accountability, investor protection, and the role of commercial defendants.

Skeene and Bowers were convicted in 2022 for defrauding over 2,000 investors of £37 million between 2010 and 2015. Their scheme promised safe, high returns from Brazilian forestry investments—returns that never existed. The Court of Appeal upheld their convictions earlier this year, cementing the outcome of a lengthy and complex prosecution.

Skeene was ordered to pay £170,000 within three months or face a further two years’ imprisonment. Bowers, who currently has no assets, was ordered to pay a nominal sum, though the SFO retains legal powers to revisit confiscation if his financial position improves.

Commercial Defendants: A Wider Perspective

As Lead Partner for Business Crime and Regulatory at Taylor Rose, I frequently advise directors, corporate officers, and professionals navigating regulatory exposure and potential criminal liability. This case offers a sharp reminder of a principle I often raise with clients: corporate status is not a shield.

Skeene and Bowers operated behind a commercial facade using the structure of a legitimate investment business and the language of ethical investing (including ESG claims) to give the scheme credibility. But when scrutinised, their conduct crossed clear legal lines.

From a legal and regulatory standpoint, several points stand out:

• Personal accountability is real: Directors and senior officers can face personal consequences for misleading investors, even when acting through a company.

• ESG misrepresentation is a growing enforcement area: This case foreshadows the attention regulators are giving to “greenwashing” and similar conduct dressed in ethical clothing.

• Confiscation powers have long tails: The fact that enforcement can follow years after conviction,and still be reopened,makes financial accountability just as significant as custodial sentencing.

• Investor demographics are changing: Many victims in this case were ordinary, retail investors. The law places an increasing expectation on commercial promoters to act with transparency and integrity.

Looking Ahead

The £170,000 recovered does not undo the damage, but it is a symbolic and practical reinforcement and notably, that enforcement does not end at conviction. For commercial professionals I regularly advise, particularly in investment, advisory, and director roles, the message is clear: there are long-term consequences for regulatory breaches and fraudulent conduct.

Cases like this demonstrate why early legal advice is so imperative, not only when facing investigation, but at the point of structuring and marketing commercial ventures. The line between poor compliance and criminal conduct is one that must never be underestimated.