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Contact with chambers should be made through the Practice Management Team. They are happy to discuss client requirements and provide further information on such matters as the expertise and experience of individual members, fees, working practices and languages spoken. We have members able to work in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Greek and Chinese (Mandarin).

Outside working hours, a member of our team is always available to be contacted on matters of an urgent nature. Contact should be made using the Chambers main number or email.

For our Singapore office, for client enquiries please contact our BD Director, Asia Pacific, Lara Quie and for all other queries please contact Lynn Quek. Out of office hours calls will automatically be diverted to our clerking team in London.

London

20 Essex Street
London
WC2R 3AL

enquiries@twentyessex.com
t: +44 20 7842 1200

Singapore

28 Maxwell Road
#02-03 Maxwell Chambers Suites
Singapore 069120

singapore@twentyessex.com
t: +65 62257230

Contact

Contact with chambers should be made through the Practice Management Team. They are happy to discuss client requirements and provide further information on such matters as the expertise and experience of individual members, fees, working practices and languages spoken. We have members able to work in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Greek and Chinese (Mandarin).

Outside working hours, a member of our team is always available to be contacted on matters of an urgent nature. Contact should be made using the Chambers main number or email.

For our Singapore office, for client enquiries please contact our BD Director, Asia Pacific, Lara Quie and for all other queries please contact Lynn Quek. Out of office hours calls will automatically be diverted to our clerking team in London.

London

20 Essex Street
London
WC2R 3AL

enquiries@twentyessex.com
t: +44 20 7842 1200

Singapore

28 Maxwell Road
#02-03 Maxwell Chambers Suites
Singapore 069120

singapore@twentyessex.com
t: +65 62257230

30/01/2023

High Court hands down lengthy prison sentence for director’s contempts of court

Last week, Cockerill J handed down judgment in ADM v GHI & others [2023] EWHC 135 (Comm), a committal application brought by the claimant in its attempts to enforce a multi-million dollar debt owed under a GAFTA arbitration award that has gone unpaid since July 2018. The decision clarifies, amongst other things, that references to value in a freezing or disclosure order is to be understood as meaning ‘unencumbered value’.

The Judge held that the First Defendant, GHI, a Moroccan grain company, was in contempt of court by reason of its breaches of a worldwide freezing order and disclosure orders, and that its CEO, Mr Boutgueray, was responsible for those contempts as an officer of GHI. The Judge sentenced Mr Boutgueray to an immediate 12 month custodial sentence, to run concurrently with a six month sentence in respect of a further contempt. GHI itself was fined £75,000.

Lawrence Akka KC and Patrick Dunn-Walsh acted for ADM.

Read the judgment.

Relevant members
Lawrence Akka KC Patrick Dunn-Walsh
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