Restitution: Returning stolen assets

Hosts: Ben Banerjee & Sveta Banerjee Topic: Restitution: Returning stolen assets Guest: Katherine Mulhern CEO of Restitution Katherine is a senior lawyer with significant experience on transparency, accountability, governance and anti-bribery and anti-corruption. A former investigator for an African TRC, Katherine was a senior law firm partner in private practice, the Chief Executive Officer of three leading development organizations based in West Africa, the UK and the United States, and a consultant for sovereign governments (including donor governments) on transparency, anti-bribery and anti-corruption and governance. In her role as Chief Executive Officer and as a consultant, Katherine has provided legal advice and support to emerging democratic governments (including Iraq, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, The Gambia, Kenya and others) on a variety of technical legal issues, including in relation to anti-bribery and anti-corruption. Restitution is a first-in-market global litigation impact fund which works with emerging, transparency-focused governments in the Global South in the recovery of assets stolen through kleptocracy and corruption. Billions of dollars of assets are stolen annually from the Global South through bribery, corruption, fraud and theft. Often these flows come to rest in identifiable and recoverable assets that include securities, real estate and cash. These assets and claims relating to misappropriation, corruption, fraud, tort and breach of contract, as well as non-performing loans and related judgments are an asset class that can be identified, valued and realized. Restitution is an impact litigation fund which, in partnership with government partners, donors and investors, identifies, quantifies, develops and realizes these portfolios for the benefit of the governments (and the people) who are victims of corruption. Restitution realizes claims portfolios relating through kleptocracy and corruption side-by-side with victim governments, donors and investors (many of whom wish to invest in a “G” (governance)-focused ESG investment). Restitution ensures that the country receives the majority of the returned assets in a way that is transparent and accountable, while also ensuring that investors receive a strong return.