Law & Arbitration
Fraud and Asset Tracing
Find the assets. Freeze them. Execute recovery.
Fraud and Asset Tracing is a practice-led premium advisory service under Legal & Regulatory. Fraud matters are won through evidence discipline and coordinated action — Handle leads asset tracing and recovery with investigation alignment, urgent court leverage and enforcement planning.
When this is needed
Fraud and Asset Tracing in the UAE: where the mandate begins.
- Funds or assets have been misappropriated, and the trail runs through entities, accounts or jurisdictions.
- A partner, executive or counterparty is suspected of fraud, and the evidence must be secured before action.
- Assets are being dissipated through offshore structures, trusts or related parties.
- Civil recovery must run alongside — or ahead of — criminal and regulatory proceedings.
Matters Handle leads
Fraud and recovery capabilities.
Four capabilities. One coordinated recovery programme.
Fraud Investigations
Misconduct identified through structured investigation — built to support legal remedies.
Asset Tracing
Asset flows traced across entities, accounts, structures and jurisdictions.
Preservation Orders
Freezing and preservation orders that protect recoverable assets before they move.
Recovery Litigation
Claims and enforcement executed to convert tracing into recoveries.
The scope
Fraud and Asset Tracing — scope, made explicit.
A focused, premium mandate — with the misappropriated assets and their recovery at the center.
Fraud Assessment
Loss, conduct, parties and recovery prospects assessed before the first step is taken.
Evidence Discipline
Evidence gathered with forensic accountants and investigators to support remedies and withstand court scrutiny.
Tracing Map
Asset flows mapped across entities, trusts and jurisdictions to identify recovery targets.
Preservation
Freezing orders and injunctions used to stop dissipation and protect what can be recovered.
Parallel Proceedings
Civil, criminal and regulatory tracks coordinated across jurisdictions as one recovery strategy.
The mandate
Find the assets. Execute recovery.
Fraud is won on evidence and speed. Handle aligns investigation with legal remedies, secures urgent court leverage and plans enforcement before the other side can react.
Structures are identified, flows traced and remedies executed through litigation, injunctions and cross-border enforcement — so tracing becomes recovery, and recovery becomes control.
What the mandate delivers
- Fraud assessment and recovery strategy
- Evidence gathering aligned to legal remedies
- Asset tracing across entities, structures and jurisdictions
- Urgent preservation measures and interim relief
- Litigation and arbitration pathways aligned to recovery objectives
- Enforcement actions to secure and recover traced assets
How the work runs
Four disciplines. One recovery programme.
Every fraud matter is run as a governed programme — investigate, trace, preserve, recover.
01
Investigation Alignment
Evidence gathering structured to support legal remedies and withstand court scrutiny.
02
Tracing Capability
Asset flows mapped across entities and jurisdictions to identify recovery targets.
03
Preservation Measures
Interim relief used to protect recoverable assets and prevent dissipation.
04
Recovery Execution
Litigation and enforcement sequenced to convert tracing into recoveries and control.
The Handle model
Practice-led. Never fragmented.
The matter may begin here — it stays connected to strategy, capital and law.
Strategy & Operations
The work stays connected to market position, operating model, performance and execution governance.
M&A & Capital
The work stays aware of capital readiness, investor review, transaction logic and deployment discipline where relevant.
Legal & Regulatory
The work stays protected through structure, rights, governance, enforceability and regulatory or dispute readiness.
Why Handle
Evidence first. Recovery executed.
Handle runs fraud matters as coordinated programmes. Partner-led teams set recovery priorities, sequence every step and connect the outcome to the client’s governance, capital and business asset.
- Evidence-led investigations aligned to legal remedies
- Asset tracing across entities, structures and jurisdictions
- Urgent preservation measures and interim relief where required
- Partner-led strategy on recovery priorities and sequencing
- Litigation and arbitration pathways aligned to enforcement
- Outcomes measured in preserved assets, recoveries and controlled timelines
Good litigation is disciplined project management. Clear filings, clean evidence, and a hearing plan that your board understands. That is how outcomes travel from courtroom to cash.
Hamda Al FalasiPartner, Law & Arbitration
Engagement paths
Where this work typically begins.
Growth & Expansion
When the asset must scale capacity, geography, capital, partnerships or market share.
Turnaround
When the asset must reset structure, capital, law, governance and operations under pressure.
Coverage
Built for the forums where fraud is unwound.
Handle pursues fraud and asset recovery before UAE onshore courts, DIFC and ADGM Courts, and arbitral tribunals — coordinating with foreign courts, regulators and enforcement authorities where assets have moved.
Forums · Courts & arbitration
Related service lines · Law & Arbitration
Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCommercial and Corporate DisputesShareholder and Joint Venture ControlConstruction and Projects DisputesBanking and Finance DisputesEmployment Litigation for EmployersInternational ArbitrationInjunctions and Emergency ReliefAward Recognition and EnforcementRegulatory and Investigations
Questions, answered
Fraud and Asset Tracing — questions, answered.
How Handle investigates fraud, traces assets and executes recovery.
Which fraud matters does Handle manage?
Corporate fraud, embezzlement, asset misappropriation and financial misconduct.
Can assets be traced across borders?
Yes. Tracing extends through offshore jurisdictions, trust structures and related-party networks.
Does Handle work with forensic experts?
Yes. Forensic accountants and investigators are engaged to protect evidence integrity.
Which legal remedies are available?
Freezing orders, injunctions, disclosure orders and restitution and recovery proceedings.
Can action be taken before a criminal complaint?
Yes. Civil recovery measures can be initiated to protect assets ahead of criminal proceedings.
How long does asset tracing take?
Timelines are set by the complexity of the structures involved. A coordinated model accelerates discovery and recovery.
When can recovered assets be transferred?
Upon judgment or settlement and the relevant legal clearance.
Does Handle coordinate with regulators?
Yes. Financial regulators and enforcement agencies are engaged where the matter requires.
How is confidentiality protected?
Investigations are conducted under strict confidentiality, privilege and non-disclosure protocols.
Can parallel proceedings run in several countries?
Yes. Cross-border litigation is synchronised into one coherent recovery strategy.
Insights
Perspectives from live mandates.
Partner-led analysis on law, capital and strategy, shaped by boardroom realities across the UAE and the GCC.
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Work with Handle
Begin with Fraud and Asset Tracing — kept connected to the whole Handle model.
When the assets have moved, Handle follows.
Request an initial review
When assets must be found and secured.
Set out the matter. A partner reviews it and responds with a defined route, recovery strategy and accountable lead.
- Partner-level review of every request
- Strict confidentiality and privilege from first contact
- One accountable partner from review to execution
