Identifying and gathering comprehensive evidence is key to successful litigation and dispute resolution. BIP uses cross-border investigative techniques to find the key facts that will win clients their cases. Applying the highest ethical standards, BIP ensures that the evidence gathered complies with all relevant laws, rules and regulations.
Our litigation support services have successfully provided clients suffering from frauds, corruption cases and intellectual property infringements with the expertise and resources to efficiently gather the intelligence and evidence needed for a positive outcome.
Whatever the investigation, each case must begin with the intention that it could end in litigation.
Evidence Gathering
All documents that could be relevant must be secured at the earliest possible stage of an investigation and retained and handled properly thereafter. The significance of all the documents that could be relevant to the suspected fraud should be considered.
As part of our investigations, we will:
- identify and locate critical evidence
- secure, schedule, interrogate and analyse evidence legally obtained from the client’s communication records, data entry logs, audit and financial statement reviews and personnel files
- identify evidence from Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and Human Source Intelligence (HUMINT) methods
- interrogate online media and press databases, court documents, global business filings, property records, web-based communities and social networks to support the evidence gathering process
- summarise the key facts, with supporting evidence, in an easily presented manner
- map out relevant findings, corporate structures and assets in organogram (i2 network diagrams).
Asset Tracing
The illicit gains from corporate fraud are often concealed in complex financial accounts, offshore trusts and shell companies, but ultimately, fraudsters use this money to finance their lavish lifestyles or to hide their gambling debts. Speed is critical to successful recoveries.
Our Fraud Examiners have extensive cross-border and international experience in working with the legal and law enforcement profession to identify, locate and help freeze the proceeds of fraud using forensic research and investigation techniques.
Asset Recovery: Investigation
- As part of our asset tracing investigations, we will:
- provide evidence of global assets to determine whether they can be frozen and/or recovered using local and international laws
- identify properties, commercial interests and other recoverable assets
- review company filings and evidence to identify links to tangible assets and bank accounts
- unravel and plot complex offshore company structures using link charting techniques
liaise with the appropriate financial institutions to assist in the detection and recovery of misappropriated assets gained from fraud
Asset Profiling: Pre-Litigation
We conduct asset profiling investigations for the legal profession who are looking to establish whether an individual or company has any significant assets or liabilities before pursuing costly litigation.
Asset Profiling: Significant Debtors
Organisations often give lines of credit to their regular or trusted customers to keep revenue streams operating. On occasions, these credit lines become large debts. We help clients establish whether an individual or company has any significant assets that could be used as leverage for a repayment plan.
Debtor Tracing
We help clients trace and identify significant debtors who have moved their assets or residence to another location. We have extensive experience working with the legal profession to identify assets using forensic research, investigation techniques and applying freezing orders.
Witness Tracing & Research
During fraud investigations and other legal proceedings, witnesses to the original fraud are often required to provide historical statements and or physical evidence. We use a variety of different research techniques and databases to help organizations trace witnesses and other counterparties to help clients win their cases.
Witness Research
In most legal proceedings and disputes, the key evidence on which a case can succeed or fail, is often given by witnesses. Investigating the background of a witness and their evidence prior to any trial, will help identify anomalies that could be either detrimental or beneficial to the case. Finding information that could help discredit the witness by identifying inconsistencies in their background or evidence, may also help lawyers before cross-examination.
Witness Interviews
Interviews with witnesses can be conducted at any stage in an investigation. The aim is to collect supporting evidence which can be used in legal proceedings, tribunal or for making a claim under insurance. Our Certified Fraud Examiners have experience in interviewing obstructive witnesses, co-conspirators and the suspects themselves and apply professional techniques and principles to seek out the truth.
It is not essential that a guilty suspect does not admit their responsibility. Deliberate lies, continued deceit and denials in the face of overwhelming evidence, will be just as condemning. Before interviewing a suspect or witness, we ensure that we rehearse, prepare and plan for every eventuality, including confessions, counter-attacks and denials.