Leon Kazakos , KC
Prior to taking silk Leon was shortlisted for Crime Junior of the Year 2019 and ranked Band 1 for Crime as a leading individual by Chambers and Partners.
Now in his fourth year in silk he is ranked Band 2 for both General and Financial Crime.
His practice divides into business crime, general crime, regulatory proceedings, tax appeals and police disciplinary work.
In business crime he is instructed to defend across the spectrum of misconduct; from allegations of high value fraud, corruption and misconduct in public office to cheating the public revenue, money laundering, breaches of FSMA, and other related misconduct.
His general criminal practice encompasses homicide (murder and manslaughter), human trafficking and slavery, serious drugs and firearms offences, and serious sexual offending.
His regulatory work spans firearms licensing, breaches of planning notices, wildlife offences (CITES regulations) and some health and safety work.
He provides advice and advocacy in substantial, sensitive and complex cases usually from a pre-charge stage; representing individuals and companies who are under investigation or being prosecuted for serious wrongdoing. He is an accredited advocacy trainer (Lincoln’s Inn), a pupil supervisor and a trained facilitator for advocacy and the vulnerable. Leon lectures and delivers training to solicitors’ and accountancy firms in relation to criminal and regulatory matters, with a particular focus on financial misconduct and money laundering.
Leon is the current Leader of the South Eastern Circuit and Joint Vice Chair of the Kalisher Trust. He is a contributing editor to Butterworths “Fraud Law, Practice and Procedure”, a contributing author in corporate crime to LexisNexis and a contributor to Banks on Sentence.
Practice Area
Panel
- Contributing Author
Qualified Year
- 1999
Year Taken Silk
- 2020
Membership
- Advocacy Trainer (Lincoln’s Inn)
- South Eastern Circuit
- Criminal Bar Association
- Fraud Lawyers Association
- Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers
- Financial Services Lawyers Association
- Revenue Bar Association
- Private Prosecution Association
Education
- Inns of Court School of Law
- Manchester University
- Kings College School Wimbledon
1 Contributions by Leon Kazakos
PRACTICE NOTES
Unexplained Wealth Orders under POCA 2002: criteria, procedure, interim freezing, PEPs/serious crime, trusts, respondent duties, admissibility, offences, challenges, costs and Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 reforms
The unexplained wealth order (UWO)
Unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) are an investigative tool available to enforcement bodies in High Court civil recovery proceedings brought under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA 2002). Introduced on 31 January 2018 with retrospective effect, they apply irrespective of whether the respondent obtained the property before that date. For a detailed discussion of UWOs and the reasons behind their introduction, see News Analysis: Criminal Finances Act 2017—unexplained wealth orders.
A UWO requires a person suspected of involvement in, or association with, serious criminality to justify the source of assets that seem disproportionate to their known income. In short, the order compels the respondent to provide a ‘statement’ outlining the nature and extent of their interest in the property identified in the order, together with an explanation of how it was acquired. Failure to give a complete response creates a presumption that the property is recoverable property for the purposes of POCA 2002, Part 5 and the civil recovery regime. The UWO mechanism offers an alternative way to investigate or prove such matters. If the respondent, or, where appropriate, the...
Corporate Crime
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