• 'Members cover a range of work, including the most heavyweight tax fraud disputes' Legal 500 2017
  • 'Regularly sought out to handle high-profile matters' Chambers UK  2017
  • 'Possesses a standout track record for handling major fraud cases' Chambers UK 2015

Fraud

A leading Criminal Set with a deep-bench of fraud specialists; the concentration of talent on offer at QEB Hollis Whiteman is outstanding.

Overview

QEB Hollis Whiteman is a leading set for fraud. As a set it is ranked in the top band by both Chambers UK and The Legal 500 and our members are consistently ranked as leaders in the fields of financial crime and fraud. We have an established reputation for dealing with serious fraud, Business crime and financial regulation. We are regularly instructed to defend in high-profile, high-value and complex fraud cases or to undertake this work on behalf of specialist prosecution or regulatory authorities; our members are regularly instructed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), as well as by individuals and corporations working in the financial services industry.

Our Experience

Members of QEB Hollis Whiteman have been instructed in most of the significant fraud investigations of recent years, both as prosecution and defence counsel.  These include: Operation Amazon, defending a company director and chief executive officer in an alleged tax cheat worth over £100m; Operation Boromo, the largest joint DWP/Home Office Fraud Prosecution yet brought; Operation Cotton, one of the largest criminal prosecutions ever undertaken by the Financial Conduct Authority; and SFO v Barclays, a case arising from SFO Charges of Conspiracy to Commit Fraud at Barclays. Members of Chambers are adept at dealing with all types of frauds including those involving: share dealing; insurance; mortgage; benefits; tax; revenue; VAT; excise; pension schemes; ponzi schemes; advance fee; fraudulent trading; carbon credit; real estate; and identity.

Members of Chambers represent individuals and corporate clients at every stage of the criminal process including, but not limited to: the provision of advice pre-charge (often resulting in the successful avoidance of criminal proceedings altogether); the provision of advisory and advocacy services before the Criminal Courts; appearances before Regulatory Tribunals; and in Ancillary Proceedings, including restraint, confiscation and directors’ disqualification. Furthermore, Chambers has significant experience in dealing with cases with international or cross-jurisdictional complexities. A number of members of Chambers are appointed to the SFO’s list of Panel Counsel.

Our experience and expertise also includes advising individuals and corporate clients on Private Prosecutions for Fraud

News

Jennifer Newcomb appointed as Treasury Counsel Monitoree

We are delighted to announce that as of the 1 st  April 2024 Jennifer Newcomb will be...

Philip McGhee to be appointed Treasury Counsel

We are delighted to announce that as of the 1 st April 2024 Philip McGhee will be Junior Treasury...

Acquittal for Doctor accused of fraud.

Adam King this week represented a Doctor charged with Fraud by False Representation after...

Articles

Ari Alibhai Presents a Webinar on the Landmark Private Prosecution Case: Supremacy

On 30 November 2021, Stephen Millington was sentenced to a total of 30 months’ imprisonment following his guilty plea to a number of fraud and copyright offences relating to his creation and supply of software and add-ons which enabled thousands of his...

William Boyce QC speaks about Private Prosecutions on RPC's 'Taxing Matters' podcast

William Boyce QC speaks about Private Prosecutions on RPC's 'Taxing Matters' podcast William Boyce QC was invited by RPC to be their guest speaker in the latest (19 Feb. 2021) episode of their regular ’Taxing Matters’ podcast. ...

The not so long arm of the law - the Supreme Court's decision in R (on the application of KBR, Inc) v Serious Fraud Office [2021] UKSC 2

A Briefing Note by Jason Mansell and Kathryn Hughes . In a long-awaited judgment, the Supreme Court has unanimously rejected the Serious Fraud Office’s (“ SFO ”) claim that its powers under s.2(3) of the Criminal Justice Act 1987...

The Lawyer & Deripaska v Chernukhin: William Boyce QC and Karen Robinson write about their recent experience of a private prosecution for Briefings in The Lawyer

William Boyce QC and Karen Robinson have written in The Lawyer about their recent experience of private prosecution in the case of  Deripaska v Chernukhin and R (on the application of Deripaska) v DPP [2020]. Bill and Karen consider the...

10th Mar 2021

A Podcast: The Mechanics, Advantages and Potential Pitfalls of Private Prosecutions Nick Corsellis QC and Ari Alibhai , senior members of QEB’s private prosecution practice group, discuss the mechanics, advantages and potential pitfalls of private...

Confiscation During Covid

Polly Dyer co-authored an article, now featured by the Proceeds of Crime Lawyers Association. The article provides a review of confiscation judgments from the first six months of 2020.  It can be read here ....

R v Manning: Sentencing considered during the period of the pandemic

Philip Stott considers R - v -  Manning and the observations of the Lord Chief Justice on sentencing during Covid-19 A recent ‘unduly lenient’ sentencing reference to the Court of Appeal – R v Manning – provided an opportunity...