Practice Overview
Fraud
Peter Griffiths QC has for many years been recognised by Chambers and Partners for his work in Fraud cases. He is a corporate fraud specialist and is regularly instructed to defend in complex and multi-handed fraud and money-laundering cases, frequently with a multi-jurisdictional aspect. High profile cases include successfully defending in what is acknowledged to be the SFO' costliest failure - "Operation Holbein" in which the SFO alleged that certain leading international pharmaceutical companies and their chief executives had formed a criminal cartel and had conspired to defraud the NHS by fixing the price and restricting the supply of antibiotics used by millions of people in this country.
The case ran for three years during its complex interlocutory stages including going to the Court of Appeal on two occasions and also the House of Lords. He has conducted a number of MTIC-VAT fraud trials the last of which concluded in April 2011. He is also currently instructed to defend the head of what is said to be an eastern European criminal organisation who have removed millions of pounds from online customers of Barclays, HSBC, RBS and Lloyds using an extremely sophisticated "Trojan" virus described by the FBI, who first alerted the UK authorities, as "arguably the most dangerous yet".
Crime
Defends in a complete cross-section of heavy criminal cases throughout the country. These have included R v J (Newcastle) the notorious PC Sharon Beshenivsky murder trial, R v L and Others (Leeds) which was a double murder "Triad" case, R v T a London terrorist trial before Mrs Justice Rafferty, the four-month Johnson Matthey Gold Bullion Robbery Trial heard at Woolwich, the four-month Essex Contract Killing trial heard at the Central Criminal Court and the "Cobham Body-in-the-Wheelie-bin" murder trial in which the victim's body had been locked in a freezer for three years; this was again heard at the Central Criminal Court in 2010.
Sport/Regulatory
Has advised and represented solicitors investigated and/or charged with misconduct including Re: D, a solicitor who acted in the multi-million pound transfer of an English international between two Premier League clubs who was alleged to have breached his professional regulations. Sports work includes acting as a member of the FA's Judicial Panel dealing with their more high profile cases.
These have included the "Ashley Cole Tapping-Up Case" brought against his agent, the series of hearings into over 40 breaches of FA and FIFA Regulations involving Luton Town Football Club, its former directors and licensed agents, the appeal of Paul Stretford (Wayne Rooney's agent), the hearing of the case brought against Cesc Fabregas for allegedly spitting at the Manager of Hull City after their game against Arsenal, and Sir Alex Ferguson's hearing in which his original touchline ban was imposed.