Waleed Tahirkheli

Waleed is a specialist civil fraud lawyer, with experience of the full spectrum of civil fraud proceedings, from obtaining freezing injunctions to enforcement measures, such as bringing contempt proceedings. Examples of Waleed’s recent work is listed below:

• SIA Investment Industry v Pardus Wealth & Gregory Bryce [2025] EWHC 269 (Comm) – Acted for the Claimant in contempt proceedings against the Second Defendant, for failing to abide by the terms of a freezing order (inter alia). Following a committal hearing, the Defendant was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay indemnity costs in excess of £100,000.
• Acting for an ultra high net individual, at one point considered to be one of the 100 richest men in China, in contempt proceedings arising out of an arbitration from the Shanghai International Arbitration Centre, later recognised in the UK. Defending the civil and criminal contempt proceedings against my client.
• SIA Investment Industry -v- Pardus Wealth & Gregory Bryce [2024] 2774 (Comm) – Acted for the Claimant in obtaining a freezing injunction, following recognition of an award from the DIS (German Arbitration Institute) under s.101 of the Arbitration Act 1996. Following the freezing injunction, made the Defendants bankrupt, and then issued a committal application which was heard in the Commercial Court.
• Rahbarpoor -v- Suliman [2022] EWHC 1093 (Ch) – Acted for the Claimant in a High Court claim for forgery (inter alia) relating to the ownership of a property in London. Successfully obtained judgment, and freezing orders against the Defendants.
• Arora -v- Moshiri [2021] EWHC 2230 (Ch) – Successfully obtained judgment for the Claimant in a trial before the High Court for forgery (inter alia). Pursued a post-judgment freezing injunction after the Claimant attempted to dissipate assets following judgment being handed down.
• London Infrastructure -v- Amin [2020] EWHC 2192 (Ch) – Acting for a UK based export finance company, which held various Kazakh subsidiaries holding mining licenses to drill for rare earth metals in Central Kazakhstan. Successfully obtained a freezing injunction and an order for delivery up of valuable mineral samples, followed by summary judgment in a claim for a declaration before the High Court of Justice in London.
• Acting and advising senior management of one of Kazakhstan’s largest banks on claims in the English courts for the recovery of shares of the bank in the UK.
• Advising an international Kazakh based oil and gas drilling company in misfeasance and derivative claims against a formerly listed FTSE 100 oil and gas exploration company.
• Advised company directors in relation to an investigation by the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), the regulator of the Astana International Finance Centre (AIFC).
• Acted for a very high net worth individual in a civil fraud claim for the recovery of a number of high value classic cars, registered in Switzerland. Successfully obtained a freezing injunction over the Defendants’ accounts and assets, as well as an order for delivery up of the vehicles.

• Bruno Arboit -v- Kei Kin Hung [2024] EWHC 3399 (Ch) – Acted for the Respondent, a very high-net worth individual from Hong Kong, in the recognition of a Hong Kong bankruptcy of over £1 billion under the Cross-Border Insolvency Regulations 2006. Successfully resisted under Article 21 of the UNCITRAL Model Law on the basis that the Joint Trustees had used material potentially in contempt of court.
• Re Gate Ventures plc [2020] EWHC 709 (Ch) – Acted for various shareholders in obtaining an administration order against a company that had raised over £24.5 million from nearly 3,000 mainly Chinese shareholders. The case attracted significant media attention as the company was chaired by former BBC boss Lord Grade and had provided an unexplained loan of £500,000 to the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. After successfully obtaining an order for an administrator to be appointed, we investigated claims against the company to trace and recover the misappropriated investments.
• Quaradeghini -v- Mischon De Reya [2020] 4 WLR 34 – Acting for the Claimant in overturning strike out for want of prosecution on appeal.
• Energie Direct Franchising Limited -v- Star Gym [2019] EWHC 2100 – Acted for the Defendant in a franchise dispute, and successfully dismissed Claimant’s claim following a 7 day trial in the High Court.
• Al-Rawas -v- Hassan Khan & Co [2017] EWCA Civ 42 – Acting for the Appellants in co-joined appeals on the meaning of s.35 of the Limitation Act 1980.
• Acting for an ultra high net worth individual in a common law debt claim in excess of £800 million, arising out of a judgment from China
• Acting for an ultra high net worth individual in possession proceedings and interim charging order proceedings relating to the ownership of highly valuable properties in London, with a combined value of c. £80 million.
• Acted for a multi-national European company in civil fraud and asset recovery proceedings arising out of an arbitration award issued in a European arbitration centre. Successfully obtained freezing injunctions, and insolvency and bankruptcy orders in order to trace and recover the Defendants’ assets in Europe, the United Arab Emirates and various offshore jurisdictions, including the British Virgin Islands.
• Acted for a Kazakh quasi-state entity in an UNCITRAL arbitration before the LCIA against one of the world’s largest multilateral development banks.
• Acting for a Kazakh quasi-state entity in an arbitration before the London Maritime Arbitrators’ Association.
• Acting on behalf of a multi-national construction company in an ICC arbitration against Shell Iraq Petroleum.
• Advising a Kazakh quasi-state entity in an action against an Azeri state oil company regarding the delivery of Azeri light crude oil.
• Acting for numerous franchisees in fraudulent misrepresentations claims against the former CEO of UK based franchisor, operating over 100 gyms in the UK, Central Europe and the Middle East. The claims were brought on the basis of fraudulent misrepresentations made to the franchisees regarding the performance and profitability of the franchise business. Successfully pierced the corporate veil by bringing the claims against the former CEO, eventually obtaining judgment and initiating insolvency proceedings to recover assets.

Waleed has significant experience of sanctions litigation and in providing advice on compliance. He has acted in de-listing applications which have been heard before the General Court in Luxembourg (prior to the UK’s exit from the European Union) and advised on numerous sanctions related transactions, and other policy related matters. Examples of some of Waleed’s work in this growing area of law are listed below:

• Tri-Ocean Energy v Council T-719/14 ECLI:EU:T:2016:458 – Acting for an Egyptian oil company in proceedings before the General Court in Luxembourg to de-list from the EU sanctions list.
• Tri-Ocean Trading v Council T-709/14 ECLI:EU:T:2016:459 – Acting for the parent company of an Egyptian oil company in proceedings before the General Court in Luxembourg to de-list from the EU sanctions list.
• Farahat v Council T-830/14 ECLI:EU:T:2016:462 – Acted for an individual subject to the EU Syrian sanctions on the ground of being employed by a company allegedly supplying crude oil to the Syrian government.
• Advising a UK software company on how the Russia Regulations impacted their business operations, in particular their use of patented software belonging to a Russian company.
• Advising a UK based electronic payment company on the effect of Ukrainian sanctions designation in the UK.
• Advising a UK national on the purchase of shares in Evraz plc on the secondary market.
• Advising a Kazakh quasi-state entity on its sanctions policy.