British American Tobacco (BAT) is the subject of a formal investigation by the Serious Fraud Office, the SFO said.

Brief statements from the SFO and BAT did not say what the investigation was about, however news accounts cited allegations of BAT bribes paid to government officials in several East African countries made by former BAT Kenya employee Paul Hopkins. The allegations were first made in a BBC broadcast in 2015.
SFO said it was, “investigating suspicions of corruption in the conduct of business by BAT p.l.c, its subsidiaries and associated persons.” BAT said it has been cooperating with the SFO and will continue to co-operate with the formal inquiry.