Defrauded Investor Continues to Await Enforcement by Qatari Courts

Defrauded Investor Continues to Await Enforcement by Qatari Courts

DOHA, Qatar, Feb. 27, 2020 — The Swifthold Foundation, which was defrauded by Sheikh Fahad bin Ahmad bin Mohamed bin Thani Al Thani and his Qatari company, Fast Trading Group, has been patiently waiting for the Qatari Enforcement Court to enforce Swifthold’s $6 billion U.K. High Court Judgment since the Qatari Trial Court issued a Writ of Execution to formally recognize the Judgment in Qatar in the Summer of 2019. Upon the Writ of Execution being issued, the Qatari Enforcement Court informed the Foundation on July 4, 2019 that it would begin to contact various Qatari governmental agencies and financial institutions to commence the seizure of the defendants’ assets in satisfaction of the Judgment. However, according to Delta Capital Partners, the American litigation finance and support firm that the Foundation has retained, the enforcement process has been opaque, slow and wholly unsatisfactory. Delta’s CEO, Christopher DeLise, stated, “The Enforcement Court’s progress has been quite disappointing as we are given only general updates rather than specific details of the actions being taken by the court to satisfy Swifthold’s judgment. This is unacceptable as great effort was taken, and resources expended, to have the judgment recognized by the Qatari Trial Court. Once this occurred, we expected the defendants’ assets to be seized within a few months. Now it is eight months later and assets that have been identified still have not been seized in satisfaction of the judgment and when we press the court for detailed updates and explanations, we are given vague general statements. When we began the recognition and enforcement action in early-2019, we were assured by the Qatari Attorney General, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri, that the Qatari courts would respect international law and thereby enable Swifthold to timely obtain justice for the harm caused by the defendants. He assured us that if we did not obtain such results then we should call upon him for assistance. As such, we have now begun the process of asking him for assistance and potentially seeking assistance from other governments so that justice can finally be served.” A spokesperson for Swifthold commented, “We were hopeful that the recognition of the judgment in Qatar would be the last major issue for us to overcome, but the speed at which the Qatari Enforcement Court operates is now causing us to wait needlessly and further delay justice.  This is incredibly unfair given how long and how hard we have had to fight to receive compensation for the harm caused us.” In July 2019, Swifthold hired the international law firm Akin Gump to advise on the enforcement efforts in the Qatari Courts. The Akin Gump representation is led by Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Senior Advisor, Member of Congress (Ret) and former Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Ros-Lehtinen stated, “I recently called upon Qatar in The Jerusalem Post to mend its ways, not just mouth the words, when it comes to halting its extremist financing. In this case, Sheikh Fahad has previously violated U.N. sanctions when he imported dual-use laser devices to Iraq in 2003, he also co-owns a Qatari entity with convicted money launder Antonio Castelli, who helped pocket Swifthold’s assets, and he is believed to have channeled these assets and others to parties supporting extremist groups.” Delta’s CEO closed by commenting, “After engaging several world-class investigative and asset tracing firms to identify assets of the defendants, we have become aware of other acts perpetrated by Sheikh Fahad and certain other persons within and outside Qatar that would be of interest to the governments of Qatari, the U.S., the U.K. and perhaps others. Indeed, it appears that Sheikh Fahad is living two lives: one where he ostensibly operates as a legitimate businessman, and another where he engages in unlawful activities with nefarious parties in the Middle East and elsewhere.” For additional information, please visit http://sheikh-fahad-judgment.com/.
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New North Litigation Capital Launches, Backed by £50 Million in Senior Secured Financing from Pollen Street Capital

By John Freund |

Pollen Street Capital ("Pollen Street") today announces a new senior secured credit facility of up to £50 million to New North Litigation Capital (“New North”). New North is a commercial litigation finance company and a direct subsidiary of Capital Law, a Cardiff based law firm founded in 2006.

Capital Law has a strong track record in commercial litigation, having closed over 400 claimant cases since 2001 with a 95% win rate. Drawing on its senior leadership and experienced disputes team, Capital Law launched New North to address the underserved small to mid-market segment of commercial litigation market. 

New North will be the only litigation financier in the UK owned and operated by practicing lawyers, bringing their day to day lived experience of handling mid-market litigation into pricing the risk and the funding investment decisions.

Christopher Nott, Founder and CEO of New North commented: “We are pleased to work with Pollen Street on this financing to launch New North Litigation Capital. The funding supports us to bridge a critical gap by funding claims that are often deemed too small by other players in the market. We are excited to work with the Pollen Street team as we create this new kind of litigation funding.”

Connor Marshall-Mckie, Investment Director at Pollen Street, commented:New North addresses an important gap in the litigation funding space, focusing on smaller mid-market commercial litigation. With the significant opportunity available and the deep experience of the leadership team from Capital Law we are excited to partner with the team to support their growth.”

About Pollen Street

Pollen Street is a fast-growing and high-performing private capital asset manager. Established in 2013, the firm has built deep capability across the real estate, financial and business services sectors aligned with mega-trends shaping the future of the industry. Pollen Street manages over €7bn AUM across private equity and credit strategies on behalf of investors including leading public and corporate pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, asset managers, banks, and family offices from around the world. Pollen Street has a team of over 95 professionals.

Burford’s Q2 Profits Surge on New Capital

By John Freund |

Burford Capital has delivered its strongest quarterly performance in two years, buoyed by a swelling pipeline of high-value disputes and a fresh infusion of investor cash.

A press release in PR Newswire reveals that the New York- and London-listed funder more than doubled revenue and profitability in the three months to 30 June 2025. CEO Christopher Bogart credited “very substantial levels of new business” for the uptick, noting that demand for non-recourse financing remains “as strong as we’ve ever seen.”

The stellar quarter follows a lightning-quick, two-day debt offering in July that raised $500 million—capital Burford says will be deployed across a growing roster of commercial litigations, international arbitrations, and asset-recovery campaigns. Management also highlighted significant progress in portfolio rotations, underscoring the firm’s ability to monetise older positions while writing new ones at scale. Investors will get a deeper dive when Burford hosts its earnings call today at 9 a.m. EDT.

Burford’s results arrive amid heightened regulatory chatter in Washington and Westminster, yet the numbers suggest the industry’s largest player is unfazed—for now—by talk of disclosure mandates and tax levies. The firm emphasised that its legal-finance, risk-management and asset-recovery businesses remain uncorrelated to broader markets, a pitch that continues to resonate with pension funds and endowments hunting for alternative yield.

For litigation-finance insiders, Burford’s capital-raising prowess and improving margins could have ripple effects: rival funders may face stiffer competition for marquee cases, while law-firm partners might leverage the firm’s deeper pockets to negotiate richer portfolio deals.

International Legal Finance Association (ILFA) Announces End of Year Gala and Inaugural Legal Finance Awards

By John Freund |

 The International Legal Finance Association is pleased to announce its annual End-of-Year Gala Dinner on November 13, 2025.  The event will take place at The Law Society in London, bringing together leading figures from across the legal finance industry for an evening of celebration and reflection on the year’s achievements.  

The dinner will be accompanied by the inaugural Legal Finance Awards.  The awards are designed to recognize and honor excellence across the legal finance ecosystem. They will spotlight the achievements of funders, law firms, brokers, advisors, and other key contributors to the continued growth and innovation of the industry. Nominations for the awards are now open, with the nomination form available here

“The Gala Dinner is a chance for our members and guests to gather in person and celebrate the progress we've made over the year,” said Rupert Cunningham, Global Director of Growth and Membership Engagement at ILFA. “We are especially excited to launch the Legal Finance Awards, which will shine a light on the outstanding work and impact of professionals across our field.”

Tickets for the Gala are on sale now, with discounted pricing available for ILFA members.  More information can be found here.