UK High Court Blocks Media Access to Files in GVC Turkey Investigation

A High Court judge has put tight restrictions on what newspapers can say about a long-running criminal investigation linked to GVC’s former Turkey operations, making the legal fight involving the company’s past leaders even more tricky.

A High Court judge

GVC’s former Turkey operations,

Judge Sides with Regulators, Shutting Down Coverage of Sensitive GVC Case

Justice Hill made this call on 26 November, agreeing to the UK Gambling Commission’s plea for a far-reaching ban on sharing sensitive details related to the probe, which insiders call Operation Incendiary.

Justice Hill

UK Gambling Commission’s plea

Operation Incendiary

The ruling prevents reporters from revealing any information in documents provided by HM Revenue & Customs or the Crown Prosecution Service. It also stops them from covering details from an earlier CPS summary or anything else tied to the criminal case. Prosecutors claimed that letting the public see this material could sway possible jurors in future court sessions. The judge agreed with their view after looking at secret evidence. 

HM Revenue & Customs or the Crown Prosecution Service

CPS

sway possible jurors in future court sessions

The judge agreed with their view

Operation Incendiary deals with claimed misdeeds in GVC’s Turkey-focused business from 2011 to 2018. The case has already led to a big deal with the company, which agreed to pay hundreds of millions of pounds in 2023 to settle its company-wide involvement. Investigators have now shifted their focus to specific people, including former CEO Kenny Alexander and ex-chairman Lee Feldman, who now face charges of plotting to cheat and bribe. Both men say they did nothing wrong and are getting ready for a criminal trial set to start in February 2028.

Operation Incendiary

GVC’s Turkey-focused business

2011 to 2018

Lee Feldman

Meanwhile, Alexander and Feldman are taking legal action against the UK Gambling Commission. They claim the Commission mishandled confidential information about the investigation, which they say ruined their plans to buy 888, a company that has since changed its name. Their lawsuit has created an unusual situation where regulatory legal action overlaps with a major criminal case. Prosecutors say this overlap makes it tricky to manage what information they can share.

Alexander

Feldman

UK Gambling Commission

Commission

mishandled confidential information

888

Justice Hill agreed that open justice matters, but decided a short-term ban on reporting was needed for this specific issue. The judge did, however, raise questions about when the regulator made its request. He pointed out that they asked for this just before the civil trial began and did not provide witness statements from the Commission to back up their request.

Justice Hill

Commission

The gag order mirrors a previous effort by prosecutors to limit the disclosure of details about Entain’s 2023 settlement. As the criminal case heads toward a trial with multiple stages likely to last until 2029, the information blackout makes sure that crucial investigative documents will stay hidden from the public eye at least until the first trial phase ends.

Entain’s 2023 settlement