Anna Keighley

Called: 2006

Anna Keighley’s core practice is recovery of the proceeds of crime arising out of financial and other serious, organised, crime.

Her practice has led to international instructions, advisory work, niche applications and legal argument in criminal, civil courts, the High Court and Court of Appeal.

She has lectured here and overseas on the area of proceeds of crime and is contributing author to ‘Mitchell Taylor and Talbot on Confiscation and the Proceeds of Crime’ (Sweet & Maxwell).

Anna is specialist appointed Counsel in this field for the CPS and SFO.

Between 2015 and 2020, Anna was a Financial Ombudsman deciding Banking and Credit cases.

“Anna Keighley of 187 Chambers is a financial crime specialist who continues to demonstrate a burgeoning practice in the proceeds of crime. She regularly advises on asset forfeiture and confiscation orders, and has appeared before the High Court and Court of Appeal.”

“Anna Keighley is absolutely delightful and a specialist in money laundering and POCA. She knows everything about the subject.”

“Anna has real expertise and breadth of knowledge in POCA and not purely on the back of criminal cases: she is a POCA specialist. Her written submissions are to the point, sensible and correct.”

“She is really on top of her game and fights tooth and nail for her client, leaving opponents bruised and battered.” Chambers and Partners 2025

“Anna has an encyclopaedic knowledge of confiscation and proceeds of crime matters. She is thoughtful, fair and assertive.” Legal 500 2025

“Her tremendous wealth of knowledge and work ethic impress.” Chambers & Partners 2024

“A pleasure to be against, she’s a clear, comprehensible advocate who is always very tough to beat. Her advocacy is exactly how you’d teach it: smooth but to the point.” Chambers & Partners

“Anna is knowledgeable, diligent, exceptionally hardworking with superb people skills. Anna provides good practical advice and direction.” Legal 500 2024

‘A superb POCA lawyer. Brilliant on the law. Defends and prosecutes with equal alacrity. Has some significant higher court cases to her name. A star.‘ Legal 500 2023

“She knows POCA inside out and provides very good, practical advice.”

“Anna is excellent with difficult clients.” Chambers & Partners 2023

“Anna Keighley is a financial crime specialist who continues to demonstrate a burgeoning practice in the proceeds of crime. She regularly advises on asset forfeiture and confiscation orders and has appeared before the High Court and Court of Appeal.” – Chambers & Partners 2023

Ranked In

Cases

Asset Forfeiture & Confiscation

Anna represents prosecutors, foreign governments, defendants, receivers and third parties in proceeds of crime litigation in the High Court and Crown Court.

She is regularly instructed as specialist counsel by the Proceeds of Crime Unit of the CPS, SFO and others in restraint, confiscation, variations, enforcement and receivership proceedings, under POCA, CJA and DTA, and in Judicial Review proceedings.

Re Nixon [2020] 1 WLUK 118 – High Court application for certificate of increase under the DTA 1994; court had jurisdiction with regard to legitimately and subsequently acquired assets.
R v Goodman (2019) – £1.6m confiscation order; issues of adverse effect of previous confiscation orders and treatment of ‘debts’ between drug dealers.
R v Anderson (2019) – s.22 POCA application on the use and limits of R v Waya [2013] 1 AC 294 and ‘capping’ effect of R v Cole [2018] EWCA Crim 888.
Operation Jade (2019) – multi-million £ confiscation and dispute on correct application of R v Ahmad & Fields [2014] UKSC 36.
For multiple Member States of the EU applications to recognise overseas Restraint Orders (2019).
R v Jones (2018) – application to vary High Court restraint order to enforce civil judgment and impact on related, concurrent, Crown Court confiscation proceedings.
R (on the application of O’Connell) v Westminster Magistrates Court [2017] EWHC 3120 (Admin); [2018] Lloyd’s Rep. F.C. 130 – Judicial Review of activation of default sentence on grounds of abuse of process and Human Rights violation. Defendant extradited following activation of default on a European Arrest Warrant. Successful grounds in opposition to appeal to Supreme Court.
R v Brewer (2017) – Court of Appeal ruling on effect of amended S.11 POCA on ‘time to pay’ confiscation order.
R v F (2016) – long running litigation relating to interplay of applications to increase available amount and accumulative confiscation orders.
R v Esfandmodz (2015) – contested High Court receivership with multiple third-party interests and associated civil claim for fraudulent misrepresentation.
R v Gurr (2015) – multiple third-party property interest litigation in receivership application.
Op Segman (2014) – enforcement of confiscation order in Netherland Antilles with ‘corporate veil’ issues.
Op Numerator (2014) – contested Crown Court receivership in relation to third-party interests in domestic and overseas properties.
Re T (2014) – generic advice in relation to pensions in light of Government proposals as proceeds of crime and associated tax implications.
Re B (2014) – DTA High Court confiscation order increase.
R v Azad (2010-2012) – settling a £2m confiscation order and various issues thereafter including enforcement following the death of the defendant.

Bribery & Corruption

Anna is instructed by the Foreign Office’s SIPT in the prosecution of attorneys and former

government ministers of the Turks and Caicos Islands for £100m plus bribery, corruption and money laundering (R v Misick and others). This is a long running and complex case following a Commission of Inquiry and the suspension of the Government.

She also advises firms on their regulatory responsibilities and liability under the Bribery Act 2010

Fraud & Financial Crime

Anna’s core practice invariably either involves or arises out of financial crime. In addition to the above examples include:

Defrauding regulatory authority (2019) – accusation of male fides of the Crown and complex PII issues.

Anna has also been instructed in civil fraud proceedings: – intervening in civil proprietary claim

connected with High Court freezing order proceedings and resisting orders which compete with criminal asset recovery.

R v O’Sullivan and Kerr – instructed disclosure counsel in the prosecution of British attorneys in the Turks and Caicos Islands for Stamp Duty fraud in a $28 million dollar property transaction between U.S. nationals.

She is appointed to the Serious Fraud Office prosecution panel and specialist proceeds of crime panel.

LPP

Regularly instructed in the area of legal professional privilege. She advises parties on applicability and waiver of privilege.

She acts as independent counsel to identify material protected by legal professional privilege whether present during the search (of homes or solicitors offices) or reviewing large amounts of seized material – as in Operation Steamroller (a £70m share sale fraud) for the Serious Fraud Office.

Professional Memberships

Proceeds of Crime Lawyers Association
Female Fraud Forum – Standing Committee Member
South Eastern Circuit
Criminal Bar Association
Middle Temple
Grade 2 CPS Counsel

Awards, Qualifications & Other

Appointments: Ombudsman at the Financial Ombudsman Service in the areas of banking and credit.

Visiting Lecturer: University of Law, Bloomsbury, London delivering training in criminal litigation and advocacy.

Trained Mediator: through London School of Mediation for ADR in civil litigation and, previously, in work-place mediation.

Anna also experienced the role of ‘instructing solicitor’ in 2010-2011 when seconded to the Proceeds of Crime Unit, CPS, responsible for the running and conduct of complex, high value proceeds of crime cases in the Court of Appeal, High Court and Crown Court.