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Portrait ofOmar Qureshi

Omar Qureshi

Partner
Joint General Counsel

CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
Cannon Place
78 Cannon Street
London
EC4N 6AF
United Kingdom
Languages English

Omar Qureshi is joint General Counsel of CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, based in the London office.

His role covers the whole range of risk management, regulatory and compliance issues for the firm as well as wider legal issues, including in respect of the firm’s overseas offices.  He is is also a member of the firm's Management Committee.

Before taking on this role, he was a partner in the firm’s dispute resolution group, supporting clients on a wide range of commercial disputes and public law matters and heading up the firm’s Corporate Crime team, where he advised clients on internal and external investigations and compliance matters.  He has also acted as a Trustee of the UK Research Integrity Office, responsible for the governance and development of the organisation and agreeing its strategic direction with the executive team.  He has been recognised in various directories over the years.

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Publications

  • Omar has been published and quoted in various articles in the broadsheet and national press (The Independent, Financial Times, Reuters, City AM and Evening Standard) and specialist legal publications, including Fraud Watch, Fraud Intelligence, Risk & Compliance, Asian Legal Business and China Daily.
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Lectures list

  • Omar regularly speaks and writes on dispute resolution and corruption issues.
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Education

  • 1998 – Legal Practice Certificate, College of Law, London
  • 1997 – Diploma in Law, College of Law, London
  • 1995 – BA (Hons) Oxon, P.P.E., Magdalen College, Oxford University
  • Certificate in Higher Courts criminal and civil advocacy, College of Law, London
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02/06/2016
CMS Corporate Crime Conference Report
On 15th April 2016, CMS hosted a conference on International Corporate Crime, bringing together key figures from global business, academia, law enforcement and regulation. The event covered a broad range...
03/04/2016
CMS Guide to Anti-Bribery and Corruption Laws
We are delighted to present the fourth edition of the CMS Guide to Anti-Bribery and Corruption Laws. Since the last edition was published in 2014, there have been significant changes to the global anti-cor­rup­tion...

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24/04/2024
Anti-Bribery and Corruption Laws in United Kingdom
24/01/2023
Deferred Prosecution Agreements
Deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) became available as a tool for UK prosecutors on 24 February 2014, in relation to economic offences committed by corporates.  They enable a prosecutor to reach an agreement with a defendant (sanctioned by the court) under which the defendant will avoid a criminal conviction by agreeing to certain terms and consequences (designed to reflect the level of wrongdoing covered by the DPA) and complying with those terms during the life of the agreement, which may be for a number of years. They are only available where the prosecuting authority invites the defendant to negotiate such an agreement and that will only be when the prosecutor considers that it would serve the public interest to conclude such an agreement rather than prosecute.
24/01/2023
Sentencing
In the event that charges are laid and the defendant is found guilty, it will be for the court to determine what penalty should be applied.  In doing so, there are a number of factors which the court may take into account.
24/01/2023
When will a new prosecution be brought?
While all prosecutors must apply the Full Code Test (see below) when deciding whether to prosecute an alleged offence, different prosecuting authorities may have different motivations and consider different factors when deciding the issue. Taking the example of the SFO, the Director of the SFO may institute and have conduct of any criminal proceedings which appear to him to relate to serious or complex fraud/bribery and must consider the Code for Crown Prosecutors (the Code) when deciding whether to bring charges.  A copy of the Code can be found here.
24/01/2023
Investigatory and prosecuting authorities
In this section of our website you will find information relating to the authorities responsible for investigating and prosecuting in the UK in­clud­ing:Ser­i­ous Fraud Office (SFO)National Crime Agency (NCA)Financial Conduct Agency (FCA)Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) 
24/01/2023
Prosecution Policy
In this section you can find out more about the authorities that may investigate and prosecute bribery and other economic crimes, as well as further information as to when those authorities may decide to prosecute and what sentencing principles may apply.
24/01/2023
Suspicious activity reports
SARs are lawful disclosures made to prescribed persons under POCA.  SARs will usually be made to the NCA via their online system.  The purpose of the SAR regime is to assist the authorities in gathering intelligence about criminal activity.  That intelligence can then be used to assist the authorities to prevent, detect and prosecute crimes.  Therefore, the information contained in SARs may be used by the authorities to pursue further inquiries and investigations and may ultimately lead to the prosecution of wrongdoers.
24/01/2023
Offences under POCA
The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) is a vast and highly complex piece of legislation that covers not only the money laundering offences, but also the National Crime Agency (NCA)/police’s powers of confiscation, civil recovery, investigation and assistance to foreign authorities.
24/01/2023
Money Laundering
There is an increasing focus throughout the EU and the UK on combatting money laundering.  This has resulted in increased regulation and legislation aimed at preventing money laundering and punishing those involved in it.  In this section, we explore the anti-money laundering legislative framework in the UK.
24/01/2023
Pre-Bribery Act 2010 offences
The Bribery Act does not have retrospective effect.  Therefore, acts committed prior to 1 July 2011 will fall to be assessed under the previous bribery regime. The previous anti-bribery laws comprised complex, fragmented and overlapping offences at both common law and under various statutes.  The key offences under the pre-Bribery Act regime are:
24/01/2023
Related offences
In this section you can find information in relation to some of the offences that may arise out of, or in conjunction with bribery. 
23/01/2023
FAQs on Adequate Procedures
This section provides all the frequently asked questions on adequate procedures.