Biography

Acting for the liquidators of Global Steel Holdings Limited in relation to claims brought against Pramod Mittal and various companies within the Prasan Trust pursuant to allegations that assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars were transferred out of GSHL as part of a scheme to defraud creditors. GSHL obtained wide-ranging interim relief to preserve assets and has withstood an attempt by the defendants to challenge the jurisdiction of the BVI court. The proceedings are ongoing.

Acting for the liquidators of Green Elite Limited in relation to claims brought against its former directors and one of its shareholders to recover sums found to have been transferred in breach of fiduciary duties. The case, which involves a dispute as to the extent of directors’ duties and shareholder authorisation (the Duomatic principle), has been appealed to the Privy Council. The case has generated significant applications and satellite litigation, particularly in relation to measures taken by Green Elite to enforce its judgment.

Advising the Federal Republic of Nigeria in its high-profile dispute with Process & Industrial Development Limited, a BVI company that was found to have perpetrated a massive fraud whereby it procured an arbitral award that would have required FRN to pay more than US$11 billion had it not been set aside. The offshore aspects of this case entailed obtaining documents and information (by way of disclosure orders) that were critical to FRN’s case to set aside the arbitral award, in addition to seeking recovery of sums due to FRN from P&ID following proceedings in England.

Advising on the winding up of Hector DAO (a decentralised autonomous organisation) through the appointment of receivers and the liquidation and distribution of its digital treasury assets to Tokenholders. This also entailed advising the court-appointed receivers on all aspects of the winding up, including preservation of assets, engagement with stakeholders, distribution of digital assets and investigation and recovery actions.

Acting for one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world in respect of winding up proceedings brought against its predecessor corporate entity located in the BVI. This has included successfully resisting an application for injunctive relief brought by liquidators.

Advising a virtual asset service provider, ChainSwap, in tracing and recovering digital assets that were stolen by hackers and laundered through various digital wallets and the mixer, Tornado Cash. Working alongside forensic specialists, we successfully traced the misappropriated crypto to a centralised exchange from which we could seek disclosure of information revealing the identity of the wrongdoers and what had been done with the stolen assets. These efforts resulted in the client recovering their assets.

Acting for the Eurochem group in its claims relating to an international bribery scheme. This included appearing in Eurochem’s successful appeal to the Privy Council on the issue of jurisdiction and whether BVI was the forum conveniens for the bribery claim against numerous foreign defendants.

Acting for a leading investment bank in relation to suspected misappropriation of assets within a PRC based group in which it had invested. This entailed successfully seeking the appointment of liquidators on just and equitable grounds and applying for interim relief (in the form of a provisional liquidation order) to preserve the assets of the group pending determination of the winding up application.

Advising the successful appellants in the case of Paraskevaides v Citco et al, a decision of the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal which clarified key aspects of BVI trust law and the law governing interim proprietary injunctions in the context of a corporate ownership dispute.

British Virgin Islands
2017

England and Wales
2009

BPP Higher Rights of Advocacy (civil)
2016

College of Law (LPC)
2007

University of Oxford (MA)
2006