Jeff Chapman QC and Simon Atrill obtained judgment today from the Court of Appeal [2015] EWCA Civ 631 in respect of an appeal from the Judgment of Mr Justice Peter Smith arising from a 30-day Chancery Division fraud trial reported at [2014] EWHC 2046 (Ch). The claims, which were made under Maltese law, concerned a €100 million fraud based on the alleged sale of Medium Term Notes under the auspices of the Federal Reserve Bank to special investors at a discount. The victims were groomed for 6 months before the ‘Sting’, as the first instance Judgment described it, took place in October 2011 when they were persuaded to give up control over their €100 million to the fraudsters who had orchestrated the scam. The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal in relation to a series of points of Maltese law, including issues relating to whether failings on the part of the Respondents’ due diligence could reduce or extinguish their claims. Mishcon de Reya (a team led by Mike Stubbs and Victoria Pigott) instructed Jeff and Simon on behalf of the Claimants.
