header-logo header-logo

14 May 2021
Issue: 7932 / Categories: Legal News , Tax , International justice
printer mail-detail

NLJ this week: Danes thwarted in mega tax scandal litigation

48964
Behemoth case SKAT, brought by the Danish tax authorities in hot pursuit of £1.5bn lost in alleged dividend tax fraud, was one of the biggest civil litigation claims to come before the English courts, writes Rosenblatt senior associate Nick Leigh in this week’s NLJ.

The Danish state was this week ordered to pay the defendants indemnity costs, in a judgment that did not shy from criticising the ferocity of the claimant’s pursuit. Last month, the Danes lost the case. More than 100 defendants were involved and the trial was anticipated to last a year. The alleged fraud has been a high-profile scandal in the Danish media.

Mr Justice Andrew Baker, however, was able to dismiss all the claims in one go in the first of two mini-trials to determine preliminary issues. Leigh writes: ‘What was the cause? The Revenue Rule.’ 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Freeths—Rachel Crosier

Freeths—Rachel Crosier

Projects and rail practices strengthened by director hire in London

Bird & Bird—Gordon Moir

Bird & Bird—Gordon Moir

London tech and comms team boosted by telecoms and regulatory hires

DWF—Stephen Hickling

DWF—Stephen Hickling

Real estate team in Birmingham welcomes back returning partner

NEWS
Criminal juries may be convicting—or acquitting—on a misunderstanding. Writing in NLJ this week Paul McKeown, Adrian Keane and Sally Stares of The City Law School and LSE report troubling survey findings on the meaning of ‘sure’
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has narrowly preserved a key weapon in its anti-corruption arsenal. In this week's NLJ, Jonathan Fisher KC of Red Lion Chambers examines Guralp Systems Ltd v SFO, in which the High Court ruled that a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) remained in force despite the company’s failure to disgorge £2m by the stated deadline
As the drip-feed of Epstein disclosures fuels ‘collateral damage’, the rush to cry misconduct in public office may be premature. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke of Hill Dickinson warns that the offence is no catch-all for political embarrassment. It demands a ‘grave departure’ from proper standards, an ‘abuse of the public’s trust’ and conduct ‘sufficiently serious to warrant criminal punishment’
Employment law is shifting at the margins. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ this week, Ian Smith of Norwich Law School examines a Court of Appeal ruling confirming that volunteers are not a special legal species and may qualify as ‘workers’
Refusing ADR is risky—but not always fatal. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed and Sanjay Dave Singh of the University of Leicester analyse Assensus Ltd v Wirsol Energy Ltd: despite repeated invitations to mediate, the defendant stood firm, made a £100,000 Part 36 offer and was ultimately ‘wholly vindicated’ at trial
back-to-top-scroll