‘A Set back for Unexplained Wealth Orders?’ Earlier this month, two prominent Kazakhstan citizens successfully persuaded the High Court to discharge three unexplained wealth orders. Tom Forster QC analyses the case for Law Society Gazette and New Law Journal.

May 12, 2020

On 8 April, two prominent Kazakhstan citizens successfully persuaded the High Court to discharge three unexplained wealth orders (National Crime Agency v Baker and ors [2020] EWHC 822 (Admin)).

The UWOs related to three London homes owned for the benefit of Nurali Aliyev and his Kazakh politician mother, Dariga Nazarbayeva. One property attracted particular media attention as it is located on The Bishops Avenue in Hampstead, London – so-called ‘Billionaires Row’.

The NCA’s case was that it suspected all three homes were bought with funds embezzled by Mr Aliyev’s now dead father, Rakhat Aliyev, the self-styled ‘Godfather in Law’. The court ruled that the NCA’s assumption that Rakhat Aliyev was the source of the money was unreliable.

Read More [Law Gazette] and [New Law Journal]