A statement from BAT said that the company has been working with both firms on the matter ‘for some time’, but has decided to drop Linklaters and retain Slaughter and May as its sole adviser ‘as a matter of efficiency to consolidate the work in one firm.’ When allegations of bribery and corruption were first aired as part of a BBC Panorama documentary in late 2015, the FTSE 100 company turned to media boutique firm Harbottle & Lewis to handle the fallout. However, the company launched a full investigation into the matter in February this year as further evidence emerged that BAT may have paid bribes to officials in east Africa and potentially elsewhere on the continent.

Legal shakeup 

Linklaters was initially appointed to oversee the investigation. However, it is not known when BAT engaged the services of Slaughter and May, and the firm has declined to comment. It is believed that Slaughters’ team for the investigation is being led by London-based investigations co-heads Richard Swallow and Jonathan Cotton. The shakeup comes not long after an internal legal department shakeup saw BAT choose Irish lawyer Ronan Barry as the successor for former legal chief Benoite Belhomme in June. 

Sources: Legal Week; Legal Business