Experience

    • Rolls-Royce in its leniency agreement with Brazil’s Office of the Comptroller General.
    • An insurance management services company in a post-acquisition sanctions and anti-corruption compliance review.
    • A multinational consumer goods company in an internal investigation into allegations of money laundering by authorities in a Middle Eastern country.
    • An automation technology company in compliance advice relating to its governmental business, including a global compliance risk review of third-party intermediaries.
    • A Germany-based manufacturing company with compliance due diligence on its global partners.
    • A large Spanish-based manufacturing company in a post-acquisition compliance integration project, involving review of global sales intermediaries in over 40 jurisdictions.
    • An international oil company in an internal investigation into allegations of corruption and embezzlement in relation to awards of local contracts in Kazakhstan.
    • A Europe-based marine and power generation equipment manufacturer in a review of its internal compliance systems and controls.
    • A hedge fund in allegations of market abuse (disclosure of inside information), including responding to regulatory requests and conducting a cross-border internal investigation.
    • Individuals in a challenge to a Crown Court Order freezing their assets at the request of a Middle Eastern government in the context of a multi-jurisdictional criminal investigation. The case, which was considered by the Court of Appeal, involved issues of principle relating to the standard of evidence in asset freezing orders at the request of foreign states, as well as the impact of misinformation by the requesting foreign authorities.
    • A European natural resources company in a transfer pricing investigation and proceedings involving allegations of tax and customs fraud.
    • A European international power generation equipment manufacturer in a compliance and sanctions review of its Iran business.
    • Rolls-Royce in an internal investigation and coordinated resolutions with UK, U.S. and Brazil investigating authorities relating to bribery and corruption involving intermediaries in a number of overseas markets.
    • A leading natural resources group in its criminal investigation by the SFO into allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption relating to the activities of the company or its subsidiaries in Kazakhstan and Africa.
    • A major automotive corporation as claimant in consolidated ICC London arbitration proceedings against Volkswagen in respect of a dispute involving a multibillion euro cross-shareholding and arising out of a commercial alliance formalised in December 2009.
    • Ferrostaal, a global provider of industrial services in plant construction and engineering, in an extensive internal compliance investigation relating to allegations of corruption and other wrongdoing in several jurisdictions.
    • Numerous clients on compliance issues arising from the implementation of the new UK Bribery Act, including reviewing and devising compliance manuals and programmes.
    • A leading energy group on potential exposure under previous UK bribery legislation.
    • A leading business figure in international law claims arising out of his candidacy for President of the Republic of Georgia, and, following his death, his family in worldwide litigation over attempts to strip his multi-billion-dollar estate, including proceedings in England and the US and lengthy trials in Gibraltar.
    • Siemens’ Audit Committee in a worldwide investigation into possible corrupt payments to government officials leading to an early settlement with the U.S. and German authorities.
    • Occidental Exploration and Production Company in its successful defence to a jurisdictional challenge against a $75 million UNCITRAL arbitration award brought by the Republic of Ecuador in the English High Court and Court of Appeal.
    • Central European Media Enterprises (CME) in an arbitration against the Czech Republic brought under The Netherlands-Czech BIT and the UNCITRAL Rules, asserting claims that the Czech Media Council’s actions had deprived CME of its interest in the most successful commercial television station in Eastern Europe. The Tribunal issued an award of over $350 million, which the Czech Republic satisfied.
    • CMS Oil and Gas (Venezuela) LDC in an ICC dispute against Coparex Latina de Petroleos S.A. in which our client was entitled to keep its 42% interest in an oil and gas venture in Venezuela. The tribunal adopted Debevoise's argument that the claimant was not entitled to exercise its right to preemptively purchase our client's interest under a Joint Operating Agreement because the claimant had not given our client the opportunity to do the same when an earlier transaction involving the claimant had triggered the agreement's preemptive purchase right provision.
    • A major U.S. construction and engineering corporation in adjudication and arbitration proceedings in London relating to a delay and disruption claim in connection with a PFI project.

Education

  • Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1997, Diplome d'Etudes Complementaires du 2eme cycle en Droit Européen (Scholar of the Wiener Anspach Foundation)
  • University of Oxford, Faculty of Law, 1996, M.A.

Languages

  • French
  • German
  • Greek