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Civil fraud

We are highly experienced in complex, large-scale international fraud cases that involve private capital. From art and cultural asset frauds to high value multi-jurisdictional cases involving financial services or complex trust structures; from acting for foreign governments to acting against bankers and trustees - we do it all.

Our strong presence in London means that we are often able to assist international businesses, families and individuals who choose to bring an action there. In 2015 we won a High Court award of $40m plus interest for the former Romanian state oil company, OMV Petrom SA, against Glencore International. The case dated back to the 1990s, when our client was sold inferior crude oil disguised as more expensive, recognized grades.

We also achieved a landmark judgement at the Court of Appeal, restraining the Bank of St Petersburg from enforcing Russian judgments against Mr and Mrs Vitaly Arkhangelsky, pending a trial in England. The bank had brought proceedings in Russia for the repayment of alleged loans, but our clients contended that the judgments were part of a conspiracy against them. The Court ruled unanimously in favor of our appeal.

Withers’ broad experience and global reach allow us to trace assets across the world. For example, our offices in Asia provide access to local litigators and fraud investigators there. We are also able to consult with colleagues with experience in trusts and complex offshore structures – and we stand alone as the only onshore law firm to be based offshore in the British Virgin Islands.

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Russian businessman living and working in Russia held to be domiciled in England for court jurisdictional purposes

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Recognition

Leading firm for civil fraud

Leading firm for civil fraud

Focus areas

Leaders and senior executives

Art and cultural assets

Owners and entrepreneurs

Energy

High-net-worth individuals

Meet the team

Niki Olympitis

Niki Olympitis

Partner | British Virgin Islands

Litigation

How the team can help

Track record

USD$3.25 billion fraud lawsuit

Our team successfully defended our client in a USD$3.25 billion lawsuit alleging the fraudulent transfer of assets

London courts secure fraudster's assets

An ex-director of our client, a Cypriot company, defrauded the business of $6m. Following a case in Cyprus, we stepped in to obtain a freezing injunction from the London courts, and then secured a final charging order over a London property to recoup the losses.

International bank mandate fraud

When our client suffered a bank mandate fraud, it severely affected his art dealership business. We put a team in London and Hong Kong into action to freeze the stolen funds, held in a Hong Kong bank, and were able to retrieve them for our client.

Recovering the proceeds of fraud in the UK and Cyprus

We are representing a publicly owned company in recovering the proceeds of a fraud perpetrated on it by its in house accountant. This involved obtaining urgent injunctions first in England and then in Cyprus to freeze the stolen money and then secure its return

Protecting the home in a family fraud dispute

Our client faced claims to his million pound London property, as a result of a massive fraud claim relating to a member of his family. Working to protect his property rights, we secured a landmark ruling from the Court of Appeal to enable him to challenge the claim.

Major art forgery

Represented an art collector who purchased what was represented to be a painting by a well-known American painter, but which was revealed to be one of many forged paintings in a major art forgery scandal.

Art theft case for underwriters

Following the alleged theft of nine old master paintings from a Dutch art gallery, we represented insurance underwriters in a fraud claim relating to the art work, and resulting in a successful damages settlement after a mediation.

Swiss fraud

We are pursuing a Turkish company and an entrepreneur in respect of fraud perpetrated on a Swiss trading group.

USD$100 million Industry-wide art fraud

We represented a major art lender in exposing a dealer who committed an industry-wide fraud, and successfully represented the lender in several follow on cases to clean up multiple competing title claims and insurance recoveries.

A major international gallery

We successfully represented a major international gallery in a lawsuit claiming art that it exhibited on behalf of an artist it represented violated the copyright rights of a photographer.

Foreign-based seller of NY property

Represented a foreign-based seller of NY property, whose lawyer stole the proceeds of the sale. In addition to partial recovery from the Lawyers' Fund, we were able to recover a substantial amount of the uncovered losses.

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