Gary
Hughes
Gary is a leading independent barrister in New Zealand for regulatory investigations, enforcement, civil disputes, risk advisory & compliance work – with a special focus on financial crime.
27 years’ experience dealing with business regulators – Serious Fraud Office, Financial Markets Authority, Commerce Commission, Privacy Commission, Police FIU, and especially NZ’s three AML/CFT Supervisors - widely regarded as New Zealand’s most experienced AML lawyer.
Immersed in AML/CFT since 2007, Gary was ACAMS’ chapter NZ Programme Director for a decade (now Australasian Chapter advisory board), and took a key role in tranche 2 law reforms as NZ Law Society delegate to the Ministry of Justice Phase 2 implementation group.
In 2018, Gary authored an online textbook for Thomson Reuters: AML/CFT Workflows - Guidance for Lawyers. In 2021 Gary was an invited overseas expert witness to the Cullen Commission (B.C, Canada), and appointed Chair of the International Bar Association’s AML & Sanctions Experts committee. In 2022/23 he has been a member of the Ministry of Justice Statutory Review advisory group.
Often briefed in complex or sensitive cases, he represents reporting entities across all sectors and Supervisors, handling investigations, prosecutions, regulatory settlements & warnings, licensing, exemptions, de-risking problems and interpretation/compliance complexities. International work includes parts of the Panama Papers, 1MDB Malaysia, China’s Operation SkyNet, and EU cum/ex cases - as well as in the Cook Islands or involving AUSTRAC.
Admitted to the bar in NZ (1996) and England & Wales (2000), Gary’s legal practice also covers Competition law, cartels, and consumer law, financial misconduct, securities and fin-tech, Fraud and Corruption, Insurance, Privacy, derivatives, crypto and payments cases.
See more at www.law-strategy.nz