Overview
Andrew Wheeler QC is head of the Financial Crime Team at 7BR Chambers, and is ranked in financial crime/fraud by the Legal 500 and by Chambers & Partners. He has “great client-care skills”, “engenders respect for his great manner in court”, and is known for his “highly effective cross-examination style”.
Andrew has extensive experience in relation to the defence and prosecution of serious fraud, associated money laundering and proceeds of crime restraint/confiscation, and compliance/regulatory matters – and has a detailed knowledge of evidence gathering from, and asset tracing through, multiple jurisdictions. Andrew is regularly instructed by leading defence firms, by the Serious Fraud Office, Insolvency Service, FCA and CPS Complex Casework/Specialist Fraud Division.
His experience extends in particular to Bribery & Corruption, Company Investigations, Insolvency and Tax fraud, and to issues of Insider Dealing. He regularly advises both the UK and offshore sectors in respect of anti-money laundering and associated compliance issues.
In addition to his financial crime work, Andrew has had significant involvement in general crime, and has been instructed to defend in cases involving murder, attempted murder and other offences against the person, drugs, firearms, health and safety and sexual offences.
Public Access:
Andrew is qualified to accept instructions direct from clients under the Bar Council’s Public Access Scheme. This means that members of the public who seek specialist advice can come direct to him. In addition, he welcomes instructions from solicitors, in-house law departments, qualified foreign lawyers, and clients licensed by the Bar Council to give instructions direct to barristers under the Bar Council’s Licensed Access Scheme.
For further information please contact our clerks.
Memberships
- Member of the Queens Counsel Panel of approved counsel for the Serious Fraud Office
- Member of the Fraud Lawyers Association
- Member of the International Bar Association
- Member of Financial Services Lawyers Association (FSLA)
- Member of Criminal Bar Association
- Member of South Eastern and Midland Circuits
Financial Crime
Andrew has extensive experience in relation to the defence and prosecution of serious fraud, associated money laundering and proceeds of crime restraint/confiscation, and compliance/regulatory matters – and has a detailed knowledge of evidence gathering from, and asset tracing through, multiple jurisdictions. Andrew is regularly instructed by leading defence firms, by the Serious Fraud Office, Insolvency Service, FCA and CPS Complex Casework/Specialist Fraud Division.
His experience extends in particular to Bribery & Corruption, Company Investigations, Insolvency and Tax fraud, and to issues of Insider Dealing. He regularly advises both the UK and offshore sectors in respect of anti-money laundering and associated compliance issues.
In addition to his financial crime work, Andrew has had significant involvement in general crime, and has been instructed to defend in cases involving murder, attempted murder and other offences against the person, drugs, firearms, health and safety and sexual offences.
Asset Recovery
Bribery & Corruption
Corporate Investigations
Extradition & Mutual Legal Assistance
Money Laundering
Restraint & Confiscation
Asset Recovery
- R v Dean & Ors: Multi-million Conspiracy to Defraud UK investors based offshore. Assets traced through accounts in multiple offshore jurisdictions during substantial financial investigation.
- R v Smallman & Others [2010] EWCA Crim 548: Evidence gathered from & assets traced through Vietnham, China, USA & Europe arising from £17 million education fraud.
- R v H & Others: Proceeds of $billion overseas bribery and corruption investigation traced through complex multi-jurisdiction offshore trust structures.
- R v Scragg & Others: Proceeds of £multi-million series of tax frauds and money laundering traced through shell companies and offshore structures.
- R v F & Ors: Proceeds of £multi-million tax and property frauds & money laundering. Assets traced through corporate and personal accounts, and to Pakistan.
Bribery & Corruption
- Operation P – £multi-bn offshore corruption Investigation conducted by NCA.
- R v H & Ors: $Billion Overseas Corruption investigation conducted by the SFO, involving defining parameters of the defence of Principal’s Consent, and jurisdiction/extended-jurisdiction issues.
- R v F & Others: Substantial & Systematic Corporate Fraud involving misuse of Company Structures & bribery/corruption in respect of the awarding of contracts to third party contractors.
Corporate Investigations
- Alta Gas Plc.
- Vintage Hallmark Plc.
- Securitised Syndicated Investments (SSI) Ltd.
- Moya Payroll Services Ltd.
Money Laundering
- Advising the regulated sector both in the UK and offshore in respect of current anti-money laundering obligations/procedures
- R v C & Others: Proceeds of substantial predicate £multi-million conspiracy to defraud laundered through corporate structures & properties in Eastern Europe.
- R v Johnson & Others: Proceeds of £multi-million predicate tax fraud, laundered through money bureau/s & corporate structures in the UK.
- R v Sheamar & Others: Proceeds of substantial £multi-million conspiracy to Cheat through offshore structures in Far East & IOM.
- R v F & Others: Proceeds of £multi-million predicate tax & mortgage frauds, through India & UK.
- Re T: Substantial Banking Fraud. Proceeds routed through offshore shell companies & back to UK registered companies/entities.
Restraint & Confiscation
- R v Scragg & Others: Series of £multi-million payroll companies restrained, & appointment of supervising accountants to police the restraint. Regular reporting. Breaches. Piercing corporate veil. Assets removed from jurisdiction.
- R v Kenny & Others [2013] EWCA Crim 1: Systematic breaches of restraints by use of corporate & offshore structures to remove assets from administrators. Court of appeal authority for scope of perverting the course of justice in respect of breaching restraint orders.
- R v Smallman & Others [2010] EWCA Crim 548: Locating hidden commercial assets in Vietnam & China through UK trading patterns.
- R v Bradley & Others: External restraints. Asset tracing through multiple jurisdictions following collapse of Plc company. Piercing corporate veil. Tainted gifts to third parties in, inter alia, Morocco & Middle East.
- R v Johnson & Others: Shell companies receiving proceeds of £ multi-million tax frauds . Piercing corporate veil. Hidden assets. Substantial property portfolio/Waya issues. Third party gifts/nominees.
- R v Oakley & Others: Systematic breach of restraint orders. Complex dissipation of assets through companies and individuals by means of diversion of proceeds of businesses.
Financial Crime Cases
- R v A – £1bn offshore investment investigation conducted by the SFO
- R v AB – represented former Company CFO charged with £million fraud in a private prosecution.
- Operation Scar – systematic abuse of charities and shell companies for the purposes of high value tax evasion
- Operation Janitor – £multi – million VAT investigation conducted by HMRC, involving 25 defendants.
- Operation Perhaps – £multi-million Investigation into tax fraud, mortgage fraud and money laundering relating to a faith healer and associates
- R v Scragg & Ors (Operation Raiment): £25m Tax fraud/s and associated money laundering/Perverting Course of Justice.
- Operation Learning: Co-ordinating investigations nationwide arising from the £280 million collapse of the DfES individual learning account scheme.
- Operation Digits: The largest investigation by HMRC into tax fraud in the construction industry.
- R v Smallman & Others [2010] EWCA Crim 548: £17 million education fraud.
- R v Meeson & Ors (Operation Design): £5 million Income Tax Pension Fraud devised and implemented by accountants acting as Trustees and Administrators of pension schemes – investigated by HMRC, FCA & tPR.
- R v Kenny & Ors: First Instance, Large Scale Multiple Conspiracies to Defraud Administrators/Receivers of Limited Companies & Perverting the Course of Justice. C Appeal; Reported Case re Scope of Perverting Course of Justice in respect of Breach of Restraint Orders.
- R v L & Others: Large Scale & Systematic Fraud/breaches of Company Disqualification & associated Insolvency Offences, & manipulation of Limited Liability.
