Fraud & Financial Crime
Widely respected for his analytical skills, Zafar has an impressive string of successes to his name. An experienced white collar fraud practitioner, he has worked on a large number of SFO and HM Revenue & Customs frauds, and has considerable experience in confiscation and asset recovery proceedings.
Recent cases include:
R v Dr Prasad.
ACQUITTED - Defended an eminent consultant doctor accused of non-payment of taxes over a 12 year period.
R v Bradley & Others
ACQUITTED - Defending the wife and company secretary accused of siphoning £4m from a pension fund with links to organized crime.
Read more about the trial and linked trials here:-
Telegraph news article
23 Essex Street article
R v Nawaz & Others
SHORT SENTENCE NEGOTIATED AFTER PLEA – DarkMarket.com was a notorious global black market website set up exclusively by and for criminals to trade worldwide in stolen credit card data. It was penetrated by undercover FBI agent “Master Splyntr” whose groundbreaking investigation brought down the forum. Instructed to defend a member of a family of 4 brothers and patriarch all charged with Conspiracy to Defraud which the Crown put at an estimated potential £8 million.
Click here to read more about the ‘Dark Market’ trial:-
FBI article
R v Martin and others [2009] EWCA Crim 8 – Court of Appeal
CONFISCATION QUASHED - This case gave rise to an important ruling on ‘Benefit’ under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, building upon the House of Lords decisions in May, Jennings and Green: [2008] UKHL 28,29,30.
The defendant was a cash custodian for his brother who derived no reward. The Crown had successfully argued at first instance confiscation proceedings that his mere responsibility safeguarding the money equated to deriving benefit. The Crown Court Judge expressed grave reservations at the decision he felt constrained to make by the state of the law at that time. The Court of Appeal overturned the ruling and quashed the confiscation order as no benefit had accrued.
Read more about the case here:-
R v Martin Link
R v Srimurugadas and others
ACQUITTED - Multi-handed money laundering conspiracy in which members of a family were alleged to have conspired to evade millions of pounds of tax and VAT over the course of a decade. Zafar’s client was the only one of six defendants acquitted:-
R v Srimurugadas Link 1
R v Uzice and others
HUNG JURY (NO CONVICTION) – A fraud/money laundering conspiracy in which sham charities with high-profile patrons (MPs and prominent clerical figures) were established to provide loans to ex-offenders to set up businesses:-
R v Uzice Link 1
R v Cheema and others
The defendant was a financial advisor alleged to have facilitated a major drug dealer’s property purchases. The case involved complex and large-scale audit trails through sophisticated account structures; expert forensic accountants and anthropologists. The trial was complicated by disclosure problems which led to the defence making four separate Abuse of Process applications:-
R v Cheema Link 1
R v Younas & Others
ACQUITTED - Successfully defended patriarch of a family in which both parents and 3 brothers were all charged. Client was charged with laundering the proceeds of his sons’ drug-trading empire by making cash transfers to Pakistan.
R v Johnson and another
Representing the former director of a nationwide debt recovery agency, who was alleged to have defrauded hundreds of clients of deposits for debts never returned. The case involved scrutiny of complex corporate networks and detailed forensic analysis of complex accounts.
R v Awoyemi and others
Conspiracy to defraud – an advance fee fraud with an audit trail between Lagos, Spain and London.
Assets Recovery Agency v Paul and Heather Sterling – High Court
Out-of-court settlement negotiated in recovery of an alleged drug-dealer’s assets.
Assets Recovery Agency v Allen – High Court
Defended an action concerning the state’s retrieval of assets from an elderly and disabled mother of an incarcerated drug dealer, including her long-term home.
R v Ullah and others
TRIAL COLLAPSED – DEFENDANT ACQUITTED - Extremely large Serious Fraud Office prosecution that collapsed after Court of Appeal Criminal Division ruling on inadvertent disclosure.
R v Ahmed and others
CASE DISMISSED - Conspiracy to defraud. Allegation that some of the defendants masqueraded as Customs Officers to enact an ‘arrest’ of one of the other defendants. A successful application to dismiss the case was made. National news coverage as the case involved a wealthy and prominent businessman:-
R v Ahmed Link 1
R v Ahmed Link 2
R v Boparan and others
£136 million diversion fraud involving the evasion of Duty and VAT on alcohol. Ten co-defendants were the subject of a vast Customs and Excise operation lasting two years (‘Operation Stockade’) and linked with 23 other nationwide operations.
R v Carmichael
Advance fee fraud involving the false promise of the acquisition of interests in the Spanish property market by the ‘Carmichael Corporation’ on behalf of investors.
R v James and others
Corporate fraud conspiracy. Ex-solicitor client in complex £10 million ‘Ponzi’ style fraud.