Gavin Irwin

Business Crime & Financial Services

Financial Crime

Gavin is currently leading the team in the defence of:

• The principal defendant in a case concerning allegations of bribery in the construction industry
• A financial services professional charged with laundering the proceeds of cross-border frauds

In the recent past, Gavin has:

• Advised in relation to the SFO investigation into Quindell PLC, described by the Law Society Gazette as one of the most “contentious acquisition deals in legal history”
• Represented the finance director of a high-profile property development company charged with evading £5M of VAT
• Represented the principal defendant in confiscation proceedings for what the SFO dubbed “the largest boiler room fraud ever pursued by a UK authority” – valued at £70M

Financial and Trade Sanctions

Gavin regularly advises businesses and individuals on the impact of financial and trade sanctions and is currently acting for:

• A number of public figures currently under investigation in relation to: the art-market (terrorism financing); and, for public pronouncements said to support Russian state interests
• A number of UK companies whose interests and operations have been affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022

Gavin has been instructed in two ‘firsts’:

• The criminal case alleging breaches of the financial sanctions applied against Russia – to be tried at Southwark Crown Court in 2025
• The attempted extradition to the United States of a UK national for alleged facilitation of breaches of U.S. financial sanctions against Oleg Deripaska

Export controls

Gavin has an established track-record in navigating export control challenges and in leading corporate investigations where end-user concerns and WMD proliferation risks have been identified.  He has considerable experience in shaping self-disclosures, averting criminal proceedings and negotiating compound penalties.

Gavin has acted, in criminal proceedings, for:

• A UK company for exports involving breaches of the UN Chemical Weapons Convention
• An individual for exporting chemicals feared to be pre-cursors for a ‘suitcase dirty-bomb’ to Iran

Advisory work includes:

• Corporate investigations into the export by UK companies of: software for use in semi-conductor manufacturing (global); cryptographic software (Russia); and, high-performance machine parts (Iran)
• Law enforcement investigations into the export by UK companies of: submarine technology (China); and, advanced vehicle components (Russia and the United States).

National Security and Investment

Gavin regularly:

• Advises businesses operating within the 17 sensitive sectors of the UK economy on issues relating to the National Security and Investment Act 2021
• Assists businesses with notifiable acquisition submissions to the Cabinet Office, Investment Security Unit