Andrew Wordsworth - Partner

Andrew Wordsworth is a pre-eminent investigations and asset recovery specialist, known for navigating the most complex and opaque legal disputes globally.

He is frequently instructed on high-stakes matters, including multi-jurisdictional fraud, global asset tracing, and sovereign enforcement actions. He specialises in complex investigations, having worked on matters ranging from exposing fraudulent international companies, to investigating allegations of fraudulent medical trials and the publication of fabricated scientific claims in a leading academic journal. His work spans the United States, Germany, and Japan, and includes identifying witnesses for cases in the High Court and US Supreme Court.

He is a formidable and highly effective problem-solver, consistently assembling multi-disciplinary teams to deliver rapid and durable solutions for clients facing acute crises. A true authority in asset tracing, Andrew’s strategic approach and deep expertise have consistently led to significant recoveries of diverse assets across numerous jurisdictions, underpinning critical freezing orders. Clients praise his exceptional commercial acumen and strategic foresight in navigating intricate cross-border disputes, particularly in high-value sovereign enforcement and expropriation matters. His work is characterized by remarkable diligence and an unwavering commitment to clients, even in the face of politically charged or globally sensitive challenges.

Andrew has overseen numerous mandates for major financial institutions and sovereign entities, leading to the successful tracing and recovery of substantial assets, including real estate, luxury vehicles, and financial instruments. His teams have produced evidence leading to freezing orders in the UK and across Common Law jurisdictions, and supported ICSID claims involving sovereign immunity, veil piercing, and complex offshore structures in the US, Dubai, France, and Australia.

Andrew is at the forefront of efforts to recover assets expropriated by states, particularly on behalf of multinational oil companies in Latin America and Africa. His work in this area requires navigating complex legal terrain that involves intricate issues of sovereign immunity, commercial purpose, and corporate opacity.

Andrew has led major fraud and corruption investigations in the Middle East, CIS, and Latin America, frequently working with counsel to secure disclosure orders in the UK and US as part of integrated case strategies.

Andrew is frequently called upon in moments of acute personal crisis. He is known for his ability to quickly assemble multi-disciplinary teams with a clear mandate to “fix the problem, fast—and durably,” providing robust and lasting solutions for clients facing politically charged or reputationally damaging challenges.

Indicative Matters
Raedas supported a large multinational organisation locked in dispute with a powerful central Asian politician, whose actions had led to the expropriation of the client’s assets. Through discreet in-country intelligence gathering and asset profiling, we were able to predict the political figure’s likely future strategy and prepare the client for legal action. This led to an investor treaty arbitration against the state and litigation against the individual, and we were able to provide an affidavit of our work in support of a Mareva injunction.
A major investor in the Russian regions found itself under repeated and increasing attacks in the country, principally from the tax inspectorate and environmental protection authorities. Raedas used its source network to speak to individuals inside the Russian political system and establish the root cause of the attacks: the degradation of the client’s relationship with one of its initial political backers in Russia. With this intelligence, the client was able to repair the relationship, and significantly reduce (although not entirely eradicate) the attacks against it.
In this case, Raedas worked in tandem with a major international law firm to recover funds from a South American family. With guidance from the legal team, we interviewed potential witnesses in a number of jurisdictions, gaining valuable evidence of the family’s asset profile. We identified assets in the USA, Spain and Panama, and used Section 1782 orders in the USA to demonstrate precise fund flows to and from these assets.
Our client, a Middle Eastern potentate, suspected that the poor financial performance of his country’s sovereign wealth fund was due to the facilitation of corrupt payments by the fund’s management. Raedas discreetly examined the fund’s investments in the region and, by identifying and interviewing former employees of the fund and the investee companies, established that in some instances there was widespread corruption within these companies. To protect the client whilst ensuring our findings were reported, Raedas provided key evidence and documentation to the regional and international press. The scandal was widely reported, and forced a change in management at the fund, greatly improving its governance and financial performance.
A major player in the extractives industry operating in Central Africa approached Raedas to help stop its mineral extraction licence being revoked by the government for failing to meet its investment schedule. The reason for this failure was the repeated requests for bribes by local players, and Raedas was able to obtain documentary evidence from within the government proving that the client had attempted to make the required investments, but had been thwarted by domestic corruption. The client had also been subjected to a barrage of attacks by the local arm of a London-based anti-corruption NGO. Raedas discovered that the NGO was being fed information by the disgruntled former licence-owner, and was able to use intelligence it had gathered to discredit the information. Raedas also gathered further intelligence to re-focus the NGO’s attention on the activities of the former owner.
Raedas was brought in by a London law firm to fight the extradition request of an individual to a third country. We had four team members on the ground immediately and were able to get in contact with well-placed sources within days to provide the necessary evidence to discredit the extradition request. The individual was accused of corruption in a South Asian country, and within a week we were able to document that no real investigation had taken place into the allegations of corruption, and that the case as presented was a tissue of supposition and half-truths. Raedas provided affairs to support these findings, which contributed to the staying of the proceedings.
Contact
  awordsworth@raedas.com
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Languages
English
Recognition
Band 1 Individual, Litigation Support: Investigations, Chambers UK 2020 - 2025

Recommended Individual, Asset Recovery Global Guide, Who's Who Legal 2019 -2023

Top Recommended 2025, Security, Intelligence & Investigations, Spears 500