Financial Times - Dec 24

The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

Headlines

- UK Serious Fraud Office spent £16mn on botched Unaoil investigation

- 2,000 jobs set to be lost in Aviva's £3.7bn takeover of Direct Line

- EY accused of helping UAE company defraud Spac investors

- Dozens of UK Amazon workers suffer serious injuries leading to union anger

Overview

- The UK's Serious Fraud Office spent 16.2 million pounds ($20.3 million) on its failed corruption probe into Monaco-based energy consultancy Unaoil, with nearly a third of that amount used to compensate three executives it wrongly prosecuted.

- The 3.7 billion pound takeover of Direct Line DLG by British insurer Aviva AV. could result in the loss of upto 2,300 jobs.

- Global consultancy firm Ernst & Young (EY) has been accused of helping a United Arab Emirates oil storage business carry out a fraud against investors in a U.S. special acquisition company.

- Dozens of Amazon AMZN workers in the UK have suffered serious injuries over recent years, including being blinded or requiring amputations, according to new data that is leading to renewed calls on the ecommerce giant to improve the treatment of vulnerable staff.

($1 = 0.7982 pounds)