Cases

British businessman vs. German department of public prosecution

A British businessman took over a steel company with the help of a three-digit multi-million loan. However, the lending bank itself suddenly started to develop an interest in buying the steel company and prevented the nearly finalized process of acquisition under a false pretense.

Their goal: to gain ownership of the company through the right of lien and to then sell it to a third party for a large profit. The bank started a campaign against the businessman with the help of politicians, labor unions and the media.

Consequently, the department of public prosecution started an investigation for suspected fraud. The British man, who was also an advisor to the British crown, was held in pre-trial custody for almost a year; his global business was on the brink of collapsing and his reputation was ruined.

How we took action:

With the help of NAÏMA Strategic Legal Services, enormous pressure was imposed upon the department of public prosecution, who then saw themselves forced to follow up on the evidence submitted by the defense lawyers: The executive suite of the bank was searched for documents that could exonerate the client.

The department of public prosecution found what they were looking for. The client was released from pre-trial custody, the media suddenly portrayed a different picture of the British businessman and the charge largely fell apart.

In the end, it became clear that the “fraudster” had in fact been cheated by the bank and that the allegedly cheated bank had in fact committed fraud.