Gideon Cammerman KC (Head of Chambers)

Cases

Asset Forfeiture & Confiscation

Gideon acts in all aspects of asset restraint and recovery under the Proceeds of Crime Act. These include restraint, moratorium, civil forfeiture and confiscation. Gideon has a particular expertise in the novel applications of bank moratoria more frequently being used by law enforcement agencies. These, in Gideon’s view, are not being challenged robustly enough.

AG v Bank (2022)  – Challenging, successfully, high street Bank’s restraint and moratorium of HNW client’s balances.

NCA v C (2022) – Resisting applications for moratorium and subsequent restraint for Chinese client at the request of Taiwanese authorities.

AK v Bank (2021) – Negotiating release of balances with high street bank of individual closely related to sanctioned individual.

SFO v A (2019 – present) – protection of assets held by family trust from confiscation order.

Bribery & Corruption

Gideon is instructed in many of the largest bribery and corruption cases currently under investigation by the SFO and abroad. These include ENRC, Petrobras, Petrofac, Balli and others. He has appeared in the Court of Appeal and on application to the Supreme Court AIL v SFO [2016] 1 Cr App R 21 on bribery and corruption issues.

SFO investigation into B (2019 – present) – Instructed for main subject of ongoing investigation into multi-national trade finance company

SFO investigation into P (2019 – present) – Instructed for director of agent in ongoing investigation into petrochemicals company

SFO investigation into G (2019 – present) – Instructed for primary subject of corruption of investigation into mining interests in Africa

Re A (Unaoil) (2018 – present) – Instructed to represent potential defendant in Unaoil investigation by DoJ and SFO.

R v Graham Hill, Alstom Corruption case [2016] 1 Cr App R 21 (2015 – 2018) – Successfully defended this international corruption case involving infrastructure projects from Delhi to Tunis.

Criminal Defence

Gideon defends in criminal case of all types. Although his focus is on financial crime, Gideon has acted in many of the Modern Slavery cases, when the Act first came into force (R v Connors and others [2013] EWCA Crim 324). Consistent with his pedigree, Gideon has acted in many murders and other offences of serious and organised crime.

R v Jabari Shelton (2019) – Defending internationally known individual (A$AP Bari) charged with sexual assault

R v Rooney and 16 others (2016 – 2020)– Defending main defendant in the largest slavery prosecution in England and Wales

AG of Jersey v Norris (2015 – 2017) – Defending in importation of a tonne of cannabis to Jersey

R v Connors and others (2013 – 2014) [2013] EWCA Crim 324, Southampton and Bristol trials, – Defending members of the Travelling Community charged with Slavery. Secured the first acquittal under section 71 Coroners and Justice Act in England and Wales. Responded to appeal against the Attorney General on a reference

R v Jake Davis and others (2012 – 2013)– Defending an alleged ‘hacktivist’ and spokesperson for the ‘Anonymous’ collective, an organization committed to freedom of access to the internet that had attacked the websites of the FBI, CIA, Senate and the NCA. Mr Davis avoided extradition to the US and served only 1 month in custody despite the gravity of the charges he faced

R v Jogmahon (Trinidad – 2012) – Advising on all aspects of bringing a private prosecution for murder in Trinidad

Criminal Prosecution

Before taking silk, Gideon was a prosecutor for HMRC (Customs Panel), the specialist casework division of the CPS and other government departments (AG’s Panel). Gideon no longer accepts instructions of government prosecutors and focuses instead on private prosecution. Gideon has successfully prosecuted a number of multi-million pound and high profile private prosecutions. He has also been regularly instructed to deploy his unique depth of knowledge of private prosecutions in defending.

R (Hunter Ltd) v Lawless (2018 – 2020) – Successful private prosecution for £2m fraud

R (Khassenov) v Kulich (2016 -2018)– Successful private prosecution in a multimillion dollar international fraud

Orenstien v Pradhan (2015)– Successful private prosecution for fraud and perverting the course of justice

Fraud & Financial Crime

Fraud and financial crime is at the heart of Gideon’s practice. He has acted and remains instructed in many of the highest value, and most technically challenging, fraud cases. These have included the Weavering Capital Fraud ($632m) and the LIBOR rate fixing.

SFO v A (2019 – present) – £300m trade finance fraud.

Royal Mail v NS (2019 – present) – £80m declaration fraud.

 

R (Hunter Ltd) v Lawless (2018 – 2019) – Successful private prosecution for £2m fraud

R (Khassenov) v Kulich (2016 -2018)– Successful private prosecution in a multimillion dollar international fraud

R v Peterson, Weavering Capital Fund Fraud (2013 – 2015)– Representing hedge- fund manager charged with fraudulent trading in financial instruments with an alleged loss of $626m

AG of Jersey v Michel (2006 – 2011) [2009] UKPC 41; [2009] WLR (D) 312 –Defending. Gideon was engaged in this case full time from March 2006 to late 2007 and with regularity since. It was the largest money laundering case in the history of the Channel Islands. Gideon acted in the team for the first defendant. The Privy Council (Supreme Court) quashed the conviction

Professional Discipline

Gideon was the senior external case presenter for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants for a number of years and developed a deep understanding of PD. He acts in the SDT, ACCA, medical practitioners’ disciplinary bodies of various types and sports disciplinary tribunals, including the BHA, National Anti Doping Panel and others.

FRC v AB (KPMG) (2021 – 2022) – Gideon acted for an individual KPMG employee alleged to have failed properly to audit the accounts of Carillion shortly before it went into a £Multi Bn administration.

Regulatory Law

Gideon is regularly instructed to appear before the tribunals including the Financial Conduct Authority, the Financial Reporting Council, the Gambling Commission, National Anti-Doping Panel, British Horseracing Authority, he was for a number of years the senior external Case Presenter for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Gideon has acted in a number of Health and Safety Act cases, in particular those relating to construction and groundworks. Gideon has a particular expertise in dealing with the temporary freezing powers arising from Part VII of POCA. Gideon has acted for online gambling companies, solicitors firms, accountancy firms, banking services complainants, boxers, rugby players, jockeys.

National Anti-Doping Panel v T (2018) – Successfully acting for boxer charged with doping offence

Gambling Commission v X Ltd (2016) – Director of online gambling company cleared of wrongdoing

British Horseracing Authority v X (2015) – Acted for jockey charged with illegal betting

Sports Law

Gideon is regularly instructed to appear before the tribunals including the Financial Conduct Authority, the Financial Reporting Council, the Gambling Commission, National Anti-Doping Panel (boxer and rugby player) and British Horseracing Authority. Gideon has acted for online gambling companies, solicitors firms, accountancy firms, banking services complainants, boxers, rugby players, jockeys.

National Anti-Doping Panel v T (2018) – Successfully acting for boxer charged with doping offence

Gambling Commission v X Ltd (2016) – Director of online gambling company cleared of wrongdoing

British Horseracing Authority v X (2015) – Acted for jockey charged with illegal betting

Tax Appeals

Gideon has been instructed by HMRC to appear in the first tier tax tribunal. Since taking silk, Gideon has not accepted instructions from public bodies and takes appellant work.

Trading Standards

Gideon has appeared in a large number of trading standards cases, particularly as they relate to the construction industry practice.