Stokoe Partnership Solicitors is a leading law firm for fraud. Our firm specialises in highly complex financial and white-collar crime, often involving hundreds of millions of pounds.
The firm’s expertise in business crime is recognised by both of the UK’s leading legal directories, the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. The Legal 500 has characterised the firm as being “involved in the full-range of white-collar crime”.
Our expert lawyers are highly experienced at dealing with investigations and prosecutions for a wide range of tax offences, including:
- Tax evasion
- Conspiracy to cheat the public revenue
- MTIC
- VAT fraud
- Payroll fraud
We are used to representing both individuals and companies, and understand that the interests of the company and its directors are not always the same.
Our expert fraud lawyers have considerable experience working with leading barristers, accountants and experts to ensure that every client receives a bespoke service focused on ensuring the best possible outcome. We often advise and make representations during the investigations stage (including interviews) to avoid charge and prosecution. Where appropriate, we are also involved in effective negotiations with the investigating or prosecuting agencies to minimise the damage to our clients’ reputations and assets.
We appreciate that reputational damage to individuals and businesses can potentially occur as a result of an investigation or prosecution, and we have substantial experience advising clients on how to manage and minimise this damage.
Notable cases
We act for a number of clients arrested as part of a HMRC sting operation resulting in over 30 simultaneous arrests across the whole of the UK. The allegation centred upon a criminal organisation said to have embarked upon a sustained attack of the VAT system resulting in a loss of £30 million to the exchequer. The investigation involved the sale of voice over inter protocol (VoIP) contracts. The case is said to have involved some of the highest profile criminals in the United Kingdom.
We successfully represented a client who was charged with conspiracy to defraud HMRC in the supply of non-UK duty paid fuel following a lengthy investigation by HMRC. It related to Rebate Fuels which are subject to lower rates of excise duty undergoing a laundering process which allowed the fuel to pass off as normal road fuel. Following lengthy submissions at trial the Crown conceded they had failed in their continuing disclosure obligations resulting in the case being dropped.
Represented two clients following a 3 year HMRC investigation into an organised and sustained attack on the Revenue system, which allegedly resulted in the loss of £50 million per annum of tax income.
We successfully represented a client who was prosecuted for the evasion of excise duty to the value of £680,000. Our client was said to be the leader of a global network smuggling counterfeit cigarettes into the UK and other European jurisdictions. At trial following lengthy submissions that the Crown had failed in their continuing disclosure obligations the case against all the defendants in the case was discontinued.
