Henry Skudra

Confiscation, Asset Recovery & Criminal Law

Henry has a detailed expert knowledge of financial crime and confiscation (including asset recovery). He also uses his expertise in civil law areas to great effect where issues overlap.

He is also extremely familiar with the detail, case law and intricacies of both P.O.C.A. 2002 and its statutory predecessors as well as appeals and reconsideration applications. He has lectured and written on both those sets of topic areas.

He is the joint-editor of the practitioner’s work in this area: Millington and Sutherland Williams on the Proceeds of Crime. Henry is often sought for his pragmatic, timely and thorough advice on complex factual or legal issues.

Due to his understanding and experience of civil law, Henry is frequently instructed whether for the Defence, Third Parties or the Prosecution to act in matters of notable complexity – in both civil and criminal asset recovery proceedings.

He has a detailed knowledge of procedure – in particular relating to civil recovery matters, whether in the High Court or the magistrates’ court. He often advises and acts for those facing or contemplating applications for forfeiture or civil recovery orders.
Recent instructions include:

• Prosecuting a s.22 application in a £36 million confiscation case
• Acting for and advising several third parties in s.10A P.O.C.A. 2002 applications
• Acting for a foreign state in relation to £15 million restraint order following a letter of request
• Operation Amazon (led): £ multi-million confiscation and recovery of assets
• Acting in high-value account forfeiture applications, both for the applicant and the respondent
• Contested receivership applications
• Advising on Operation Venetic / Encrochat restraint and confiscation matters. In particular overarching advice on disclosure
• Pre-charge advice, including on asset seizure/recovery, for high-profile individuals allegedly involved in a £ multi-million ‘Bounce Back Loan Scheme’ fraud and related money laundering
• Advising on difficult points of law arising from confiscation proceedings against absent defendants
• Defending a client convicted of international drugs offences (£50.1 million criminal benefit)
• Prosecuting restraint order applications in a multi-handed case worth over £50 million
• Advising on £12 million restraint order and production order applications obtained for a foreign prosecuting authority
• Acting for a private prosecutor pursuing allegations of insurance fraud
• Dealing with mutual legal assistance applications / international letters of request (both incoming and outgoing)

Henry has also gained significant experience in trial matters, having been instructed in cases including:

• Murders,
• Terrorism matters,
• Multi-handed frauds and robberies,
• Money laundering conspiracies,
• Drugs offences of all gravity,
• Serious violence, and
• Human trafficking / modern slavery matters.

Many of those cases have involved complex expert evidence, vulnerable witnesses, and young or otherwise vulnerable defendants.

He conducts quasi-criminal proceedings including:

• Contempt of court proceedings,
• Injunctions,
• Other preventative orders such as Criminal Behaviour Orders, Sexual Risk Orders, Domestic Violence Prevention Orders.

Civil Law

Henry also has a thriving civil law practice including:

• Commercial disputes (including multi-track and High Court matters),
• Landlord and tenant,
• Taxi law matters,
• Employment law,
• Probate,
• Judicial review, and
• Disciplinary and sports law matters as well as advising on day-to-day civil law issues.

Recent instructions include:

• Advising on and acting in an indirect tax (V.A.T.) case worth over £5 million
• Acting for respondent taxi firms in multi-handed employment law disputes across a wide-range of different employment law jurisdictions
• Advising on probate and inheritance matters – including following the homicide of beneficiaries and trustee malfeasance
• Pursuing contempt of court applications
• Acting in asset recovery proceedings involving cryptocurrency
• Advising following the collapse of large contracts due to COVID-19 issues and on the recoverability of losses
• Appearing before the British Boxing Board of Control in relation to a licence appeal
• Advising a local authority in relation to urgent judicial review matters and a concurrent appeal in relation to environmental law notices.