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Simon Airey

Partner, Paul Hastings

Chairman of the MLROs.com Advisory Board

 

Simon Airey is a Partner in the London office of Paul Hastings. Mr. Airey specialises in global investigations, financial and regulatory crime, bribery and corruption, money laundering, tax and fraud inquiries, dawn raids and corporate compliance. Mr. Airey has conducted a wide range of investigations in different sectors, principally construction, defence, financial services, gambling, oil and gas, logistics, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications.He advises a large number of multinational groups in relation to their global Anti-Bribery & Corruption (ABC) compliance programmes and has lectured extensively in the U.S., Europe and Asia in relation to the UK Bribery Act and related matters. Mr. Airey started his career as a barrister in private practice during which time he gained experience of a broad range of regulatory, criminal, and civil litigation at all levels of the court system.

EXPERIENCE

  • Involved in the largest case ever prosecuted by the UK Serious Fraud Office relating to allegations of cartel behavior in the UK pharmaceuticals sector (abandoned following a successful appeal to the House of Lords)
  • Defended one of the UK’s most high-profile cases involving the supply of arms to Iraq in breach of UK licensing laws and UN sanctions
  • Disposed of a major investigation by the SFO in relation to a logistics company without charges being brought
  • Disposed of a high-profile investigation into alleged bribery by an oil and gas company in Somalia after extensive engagement with the SFO
  • Managed a multi-national vendor review and remediation exercise for a global cosmetics company under investigation for FCPA violations
  • Advised a major construction company in connection with bribery allegations relating to staff and contractors
  • Disposed of an investigation relating to breaches of the Terrorism Act by a UK charity regarding the misappropriation of its assets by Al Shabaab
  • Successfully represented the finance director of a UK PLC under investigation for false accounting
  • Worked with Transparency International on a keynote publication “Countering Small Bribes” which provides guidance in relation to small bribes and ‘facilitation payments’
  • Advised almost 50 major financial institutions in relation to compulsory disclosure notices obtained by HM Revenue & Customs relating to suspected offshore tax evasion on the part of their clients
  • Advised an investment bank in relation to a major anti-money laundering investigation; co-opted as an advisory member to the Policy Committee
  • Experience of SEC depositions conducted at the U.S. Embassy in London and supervising the deposition of witnesses relating to various frauds against US financial institutions
  • Supervising a regular stream of ABC due diligence exercises, particularly in the context of proposed mergers and acquisitions
  • Advising various on-line and retail gambling operators in relation to ABC & AML issues and regulatory investigations
  • Advising a foreign government in relation to various tax and transparency initiatives and the design of a new model for the financial services sector