BBC News – Energy price riggers to face jail under new proposals

[Legal Beagles]

Anyone found guilty of rigging wholesale gas and electricity prices faces up to two years in jail, under new proposals by the government. Energy Secretary Ed Davey wants it to be a criminal offence to artificially fix energy prices. At the moment people can be investigated and fined for manipulating the market but not jailed. […]

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[bluebottle]

Re: BBC News – Energy price riggers to face jail under new proposals

Ed Davey's proposals are a start, but a maximum two years' jail isn't much of a deterrent. If the maximum penalty was increased to a jail sentence not exceeding five years, this would make it an Indictable Offence and mean the police and other law enforcement agencies could arrest offenders without the need for a warrant. It would also mean magistrates would have the power to commit offenders to the Crown Court for trial or sentencing.