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Defrauded Investor Awaits Decision from Qatari Courts

DOHA, Qatar, April 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The Swifthold Foundation, which was defrauded by Sheikh Fahad Bin Ahmad bin Mohamed Bin Thani and his Qatari company, Fast Trading Group, awaits a crucial hearing on April 28 in the Qatari court, according to Delta Capital Partners, the American litigation finance and support firm that the foundation has retained.

In 2011, the U.K. High Court ruled in Swifthold’s favor against Sheikh Fahad Bin Ahmad bin Mohamed Bin Thani Al-Thani, a prominent member of the Qatari royal family, for an award that now tallies to nearly $6 billion.

In January 2019, The Swifthold Foundation submitted a petition through its counsel, Sultan Mubarak Al-Abdulla, to the First Instance Court of Major Jurisdiction in Doha, Qatar, to enforce the award against the Sheikh.

The Sheikh has failed to appear at three separate hearings, thereby prompting the Court on April 14 to set a hearing for default judgment on April 28. If the Sheikh does not make an appearance on April 28 or before, the Court is expected to issue a default judgment thereby recognizing the U.K. High Court judgment and allowing the foundation to enforce it against the Sheikh’s assets in Qatar. However, the Sheikh could appear, which would allow him to mount a defense leading to additional hearings.

A spokesperson for Delta stated, “Sheikh Fahad Bin Ahmad bin Mohamed Bin Thani has failed to attend three hearings to which he’s been summoned to answer for the money he owes the foundation. It is heartening that the Qatari courts have recognized that this repeated failure to appear provides ample reason to rule in favor of the plaintiff and issue a judgment for nearly $6 billion. This saga has dragged on for many years through the United Kingdom Courts and the Sheikh has refused to participate in legal proceedings in both the U.K. and in his home country of Qatar, apparently believing he is above the rule of law. Soon we expect to see a step in the right direction, and we are eagerly awaiting the Qatari courts to follow through by issuing a default judgment, which will finally allow Swifthold to obtain the justice is so rightly deserves.”

A spokesperson for the Swifthold Foundation commented, “This is a very important hearing and we expect the Qatari courts to continue their tradition of upholding international principles of law by granting the default judgment. The fraud took place nearly a decade ago and the process of satisfying the judgment has been arduous. We are near a positive conclusion and the default judgment should be the next step towards a successful resolution.”

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Announcements Commercial Legal Innovation

Sentry Expands Free Funding Market Search for Litigators

By John Freund |

Sentry Funding’s free tool enabling litigators to instantly search the funding market on behalf of clients has been expanded.

Sentry’s free ‘decision in principle’ feature enables lawyers to evidence to clients that they have conducted a broad market search, even if funding is not ultimately taken out.

Having deployed £125m in funding across a range of case types, Sentry now has access to an even broader funding marketplace, covering 34 global jurisdictions. Finance is provided by 13 funders, five of which are members of the Association of Litigation Funders.

With the recent addition of Sentry’s first US-based funder, the US offering will now be expanding over the next few months. 

A faster process

Sentry has deployed the latest technology to make the search for funding even easier. 

  • The intuitive application process now only asks questions relevant to previous answers, saving lawyers time.
  • The commercial marketplace has been redeveloped with 63 new data points added to the funder criteria matrix - improving the accuracy of case / funder matching
  • Sentry has also begun building out its AI capabilities, starting with an automated auditing tool for live case progression audits. 

Tom Webster, chief executive officer at Sentry Funding, said:

‘By broadening our reach and speeding up the process, we’re making it even easier for lawyers to raise funding. We’re also giving litigators an easy way to show clients they have fully researched the market, rather than just approaching one or two funders. 

‘The service is free to use, so even if clients decide they do not ultimately want funding or if none is available for that case, for the lawyer, it makes sense to use our “decision in principle” feature, so they can put evidence on file that they did check the market.’

Sentry Funding is an SaaS (software as a service) technology provider that gives solicitors access to a diverse marketplace of litigation funders. It works with solicitors, funders and third-party providers to ensure claimants are getting the most efficient service for their funding needs. 

The Sentry Portal also acts as a case management system that runs a transparent digital case file for solicitors, funders, after-the-event insurance providers, barristers, cost lawyers and other relevant third parties.

Announcements Commercial

NorthWall Capital Hits €2.9 B AUM on Private Credit Momentum

By John Freund |

NorthWall Capital has rocketed past €2.9 billion in assets under management after pulling in an additional €1.6 billion of institutional capital in 2025 alone. The London-based alternative credit manager says the surge reflects allocators’ intensifying hunt for scaled, multi-strategy platforms as Europe’s banks retrench and borrowers seek bespoke sources of credit.

A press release from NorthWall Capital details first-close totals across four distinct strategies. The flagship Credit Opportunities fund secured €731 million—already eclipsing its prior vintage—while the newly launched Senior Lending vehicle raised $503 million, translating to roughly $750 million of deployable firepower once leverage is applied. Asset-Backed Opportunities collected €252 million for collateral-rich loans in sectors underserved by traditional lenders, and the specialist Legal Assets platform locked down $169 million to extend the firm’s law-firm lending programme.

Founder and CIO Fabian Chrobog said the fundraising validates “the consistency of our approach” and NorthWall’s ability to craft solutions that resonate with investors and counterparties alike. With headcount slated to hit 40 by year-end, the firm plans to lean further into complex, situational credit born of bank deleveraging, regulatory shifts and sponsors’ need for certainty of execution.

Announcements Commercial People Moves

Victory Park Expands Legal Credit Leadership with Maleson Promotion

By John Freund |

Victory Park Capital (VPC), a global alternative asset manager specializing in private credit, has announced that Justin Maleson will expand his role to Managing Director, co-heading the firm’s legal credit investment strategy. The promotion underscores VPC’s ongoing investment in its legal finance capabilities and follows Maleson’s initial appointment in 2024 as Assistant General Counsel.

An announcement from Victory Park Capital details Maleson’s new responsibilities, which include sourcing, analyzing, and managing investments across legal assets, while maintaining oversight of the firm’s legal operations. He joins Chad Clamage in co-leading the strategy, working alongside team members Hugo Lestiboudois and Andrew Pascal, under the continued oversight of VPC CEO and founder Richard Levy.

Maleson brings a strong background in litigation finance and commercial law to the position. Before joining VPC, he served as a director at Longford Capital, where he specialized in originating and managing litigation funding transactions. His earlier tenure as a litigation partner at Jenner & Block further deepened his exposure to complex legal matters, equipping him with the expertise needed to navigate the nuanced legal credit space.

VPC’s legal credit team emphasizes an asset-backed lending model, prioritizing downside protection and predictable income streams. The firm aims to capitalize on inefficiencies within the legal funding market by leveraging its internal expertise and broad network of relationships. With Maleson’s appointment, VPC signals its intent to further scale its legal credit strategy, positioning itself as a key player in the evolving legal finance sector.

Maleson’s elevation comes at a time of increasing sophistication in litigation finance, where experienced legal minds are playing a pivotal role in portfolio construction and risk management. As VPC bolsters its leadership, the move may foreshadow further institutionalization of legal asset investing and heightened competition in a maturing market segment.