Pair ordered to pay €105m in recovery claim for series of PPE purchase loans
RWK Goodman has helped secure a judgment of more than €105m (£90.55m) from two individual defendants in a fraud claim in London’s Commercial Court.
The firm advised the claimant on the recovery of €25m funds originally loaned to Yasmin Al Sahoud Perez and Karim Ouajjou across nine loans between 2020 and 2021 initially for the purpose of seeking and fulfilling agreements for Personal Protective Equipment contracts with the Spanish Government.
The loans, initially drafted under English law, were not repaid except for the first and a minor part of the ninth, leading to Worldwide Freezing Orders being granted in March 2022 and proceedings issued to reclaim the funds back.
The matter would ultimately progress to a claim of contempt of court in 2024 following the acceptance by Al Sahoud Perez and Ouajjou that they had breached the worldwide freezing orders, with the court sentencing the pair to a custodial sentence of nine months each and an order to pay legal costs.
However, these costs were not repaid, leading to a further order by the courts that, unless the pair paid the costs order, their defence would be struck out without further order.
An application to extend the deadline was dismissed in May 2025, with Robin Knowles J also confirming the defence would be struck out. An application for permission to appeal this decision was denied.
Now, the High Court has ruled in favour of the claimant, ordering the pair to repay the principle sum of the loans and accrued interest over the four years in which the matter has progressed, alongside the reissue of post-judgment worldwide freezing orders.
Dan Dodman, partner and head of RWK Goodman’s Dispute Resolution practice, said: “This result is a key example of the absolute importance of complying with court orders and the consequences which follow non-compliance.
“This litigation has been a long, hard-fought battle over three and a half years, but highlights the expertise and perseverance within our civil fraud team. These types of cases are often deeply complex and multi-jurisdictional, and we are delighted with the result for our client.”
An RWK Goodman team led by Dodman and partner and co-head of the firm’s Civil Fraud team Ellie Spencer advised on the matter, with additional support from associate Natalie May-Beshir and solicitors Cydney-Jane Ault and Tom Nugent. 4 Pump Court were the assisting chambers, with Mr Stephen Cogley KC acting as leading counsel for the claimant in the High Court.
Meet the team involved:
