Many high-value cross-border disputes involve suspicions of fraud. Successful allegations of fraud can multiply the financial recovery by orders of magnitude, or to compromise the enforceability of a judgment or award. At a previous firm we were involved in P&ID v Nigeria where a $6.6 billion award – one of the biggest known payouts to a company from a sovereign state – was set aside for fraud.
One of the latest developments is that fraud penetrates particularly the crypto sector. It is reported that USD 6.2 billion of crypto was stolen from victims globally in 2021, representing an annual increase of about 80% (https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/practice-points/a-rising-tide-of-crypto-disputes/5113885.article). We have successfully handled a USD 1 billion crypto dispute for IOV Labs, managing to clear the client of allegations of mis-selling and fraud.
