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Advisory
Luke has extensive experience of advising individuals (including legal and financial professionals) and corporates at an early stage as to their liabilities in terms of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. He is often asked to assist on a discreet basis before the involvement of prosecuting authorities as to sensitive issues such as protected and authorised disclosures, due diligence and diversion from prosecution.
Similarly he assists business clients with all aspects of forfeiture, restraint and confiscation, both in terms of guidance and advocacy.
Luke’s practice has given him particular knowledge of cases involving management receivers (s.48 PoCA 2002), directors’ disqualification, and corruption and bribery allegations.
He has experience of corporates' particular requirements in Office of Fair Trading investigations, both in terms of cartel raids and longer-term investigations of anti-competitive practice. Where raids have been conducted his involvement has been as early as the time of the raid itself and immediately afterwards.
Advocacy
He has recent experience of carousel frauds, diversion frauds, counterfeiting, mortgage frauds, revenue frauds, long firm frauds, false escrow systems, boiler-room frauds and Ponzi frauds.
Recent instructions
- Operation Steamroller, a US$100 million boiler-room fraud based in Spain and Germany, investigated by the City of London Police and prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office.
- A multi-defendant mortgage fraud said to have involved complicit professionals, prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office.
Ongoing cases
- Operation Inertia, said by HMRC in terms of deal chains to be the largest MTIC fraud ever prosecuted.
- Operation Calliper, a multi-million pound banking diversion fraud, the proceeds of which were said to have been channelled via the Netherlands Antilles.
- Operation Storm, a boiler-room fraud in which the proceeds were laundered via Hong Kong and St Lucia.
Luke was recently a paper speaker at the debate organised by the Fraud Advisory Panel about prosecution policy changes in the Serious Fraud Office, against Jessica de Grazia, the author of the report that was the basis of the new policy.
Regulatory Litigation
He has considerable experience of health and safety cases arising from serious injuries and deaths caused at work, and has lectured to solicitor clients and HR professionals in this field.
Luke has been instructed in inquests at which the criminal liability of his clients has been at issue, particularly regarding road traffic collisions and HSE investigations.
He consistently provides the highest levels of service in all cases, but is particularly experienced in meeting the specific requirements of private clients.
Contact Luke Blackburn
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7242 3555
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7242 2511
Email: clerks@7br.co.uk