Ashley Underwood QC appointed lead Special Advocate in Bank Mellat v HM Treasury
Commercial and Regulatory, Public Law and Judicial Review
Ashley Underwood QC has been appointed as the lead Special Advocate in the Bank Mellat v HM Treasury litigation. The Bank is a major Iranian organisation with very significant international business.
The litigation concerns challenges to three Orders made by the Treasury under the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 which prevented UK financial institutions from dealing with it. The first of the Orders was struck down by the Supreme Court, and the case has been remitted to the Commercial Court for quantification of damages, which the Bank assesses at $4 billion. The other two Orders are the subject of a consolidated challenge to be heard in the Administrative Court.
Ashley will act to protect the interests of the Bank in respect of both closed material and closed proceedings in both sets of litigation.