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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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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.

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.

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.