Stephen Baker
Senior Partner, Jersey
Fraud & Asset Recovery
Our fraud and asset recovery litigators have substantial experience in bringing and defending major international fraud claims and asset recovery actions before the courts.
Problem
Fraud can be sophisticated, borderless and fast.
Whether you are a claimant or defendant, company, individual or public body, our focus will be wholly on the bold and independent representation and resolution of your interests.
Solved
Baker & Partners has worked on some of the most sophisticated and high-profile cross-jurisdictional asset recovery cases of modern times.
We work with clients to create bespoke strategies to meet their needs across a wide range of fraud and asset recovery requirements.
We act for foreign governments, NGOs, multinational corporations and private individuals in some of the most complex and high value political corruption, misappropriation, forfeiture, and judgment enforcement actions.
Protecting your Interests
If you are worried about this happening to you in the future and are looking at ways to proactively mitigate your risk for fraud, our team can also support you with internal audit services. These services are designed to effectively identify and build a risk management framework that supports your business.
Businesses as they grow will inevitably see their risk exposure increase. In these cases, accessing the right advice to help you build a robust risk management framework for your business can help to mitigate these risks, allowing you to focus on effectively managing shareholder expectations, gain investor confidence and capitalise on growth opportunities.
Our Services Include
- Obtaining orders to disclose information and assets.
- Obtaining documentary evidence and witness testimony.
- Obtaining freezing, charging and gagging orders.
- Registration of foreign forfeiture and confiscation orders.
- Unwinding transactions to recover assets.
- Directors’ offences and liabilities.
- Cross-border co-operation, data protection, and confidentiality.
- Litigation relating to cryptocurrencies, NFTs, DAOs, and blockchain technology.
Why you should work with Baker & Partners
- We work closely alongside expert professionals in asset tracing and recovery work and can seamlessly conduct coordinated action in multiple jurisdictions where necessary.
- We are well connected in major International Finance Centres. We can bring together the best investigative, IT and forensic accounting specialists, to secure success for our clients in the tracing, freezing, seizing and recovery of assets.
- This includes disclosure orders both pre and post judgment, worldwide freezing orders and, where appropriate, the use of gagging orders to prevent the ultimate wrongdoer from being put on notice.
Representative work
- Global counsel to the liquidators of the offshore structure used to launder the proceeds of this vast multi jurisdictional fraud where some USD$9 billion were stolen from Malaysia through the purported sovereign wealth fund 1MDB and its sister company SRC.
- We acted for the Federal Republic of Brazil, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the Kenyan Ethics Anti-Corruption Commission.
- Baker & Partners currently act for a Middle Eastern bank in asset tracing efforts involving the use of disclosure, gagging and freezing orders to identify assets of a judgment debtor. Having frozen assets in excess of USD$20 million, the bank is now seeking to set aside transfers into trust as being in fraud of creditors.
- We represent the majority investor in a multi-million pound and hard-fought shareholder dispute brought by a disgruntled minority shareholder and former director.
- Stephen Baker advised on various asset recovery matters for the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In particular, devised the strategy which resulted in the recovery of approximately USD$1 billion which were proceeds of the corruption of former President Sani Abacha. Most recently this strategy saw the return of £241 million which had been held though offshore companies and financial institutions including banks. Jersey £241m seizure returned to Nigeria – BBC News.
- We acted for a group of retail investors who petitioned for the winding up of Atom Holdings, the parent company of the Atom Asset Exchange (“AAX”). Baker & Partners successfully obtained the appointment of joint provisional liquidators (“JPLs”) as well as sealing/gagging orders to allow to JPLs take immediate control of AAX and to prevent the further misappropriation of investors’ digital assets. Baker & Partners successfully obtained an order to wind up Atom Holdings and the appointment of joint official liquidators.
...Creative, practical, and highly experienced