Accuracy

Accuracy has built out a strong international platform for managing and assisting investigations since launching its first office in Paris in 2004, and has focused on enhancing its offerings in the Middle East and Asia over recent years.

The firm

Accuracy was founded by former partners at defunct US consultancy firm Arthur Andersen in Paris in 2004 as a financial advisory service. Since then, the firm has opened several other offices spanning 13 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America.

The firm is notable for its structure. It acts as one worldwide partnership, which it says promotes collaborative investigative solutions. It doesn’t provide legal or audit services, meaning it can act as an independent adviser with fewer risks of conflicts, according to the firm.

Accuracy’s founding members include Christophe Schmit, Jean-Baptiste de Courcel and Frédéric Loeper, who are all based in the French capital. Schmit acts for companies across Europe in fraud and foreign bribery investigations and more. Loeper and de Courcel also lead investigations into allegations of corruption, misappropriation and embezzlement. All three also have experience in antitrust cases.

De Courcel specialises in cross-border investigations into corruption, fraud and trade matters including an investigation into a healthcare company over financial irregularities related to contracts under the Iraq oil for food programme.

Morgan Heavener and Roberto Maluf are other names to know in Paris. Heavener brings a wealth of experience from his former life as a lawyer. He was previously of counsel at Paul Hastings in Washington, DC, where he represented numerous companies facing investigations by government agencies, including the US Justice Department, the UK’s SFO and the World Bank. Maluf is a skilled manager of asset-tracing, large-scale corruption, fraud and financial crime investigations.

Accuracy strengthened its Dubai offering in 2021 by hiring Darren Mullins as a partner. He moved over from KPMG and brought with him a team of forensic technology experts including senior advisers Paul Wright and Wendy Robinson. All three have experience at Big Four accountancy firms.

In the UK, Anthony Theau-Laurent is a partner with experience conducting investigations over allegations of fraud, corruption and tax evasion. He has built a reputation as a leading expert witness in the areas of accounting, corporate finance and valuation. He works alongside partner Charlene Burridge, who handles investigations into fraud, corruption and civil disputes in the firm’s London office. She became a partner at the firm in 2021, following stints as a director and senior manager.

Accuracy’s office in Milan is home to Giovanni Foti, who has nearly three decades’ worth of experience conducting investigations and helped launch the office in 2009. Also in the office is principal Silvia Baroffio, who focuses on compliance risk management and financial consulting, as well as Laura Gavazzi, who specialises in fraud prevention and investigations. All three are fluent in English.

In Singapore, David Thornes has spearheaded the development of the office since 2016. He has worked on fraud and corruption investigations across Asia, including looking into allegations that a French company committed fraud in Thailand.

Jon Nicklin joined Accuracy in 2021 and anchors the practice in Hong Kong. He has extensive experience conducting anti-corruption investigations in Greater China.

In addition to its investigations expertise, Accuracy prides itself on its innovative technology, particularly its e-discovery application, Accuracy Forensic View, which the firm says allows users to quickly view whether individuals within a business have manipulated or deleted electronic data. It is free for enforcement agencies to use.

Recent events

Accuracy handles engagements for multinational companies across the energy, oil and gas, telecoms, healthcare industries and more.

Accuracy is currently acting on behalf of a listed French industrial group to investigate alleged bribery in China by recently acquired subsidiaries in Germany and the US. The investigation stemmed from a whistleblower complaint. As part of the investigation, Accuracy mapped out financial flows within the company for the past 18 years.

Accuracy was engaged by a publicly listed European multinational to investigate the circumstances surrounding a 2020 cryptocurrency transaction which was not recorded in the client’s financial statements. Accuracy completed its review within a tight timeframe to avoid delaying the group’s financial audit.

Following a dawn raid targeting eight senior employees, Accuracy was enlisted by a French pharmaceutical group to investigate the potential corruption implications of the company’s discount and cashback policies. As part of its review, the firm collected and reviewed 300 gigabytes of electronic data to develop a detailed understanding of the policies and their implementation.

Network

Accuracy has 17 offices in 13 countries across three continents. Its partners and employees speak more than 35 languages.

Clients

Accuracy provides services for many notable French companies, including utilities company Veolia, supermarket chain Carrefour, electric equipment supplier Schneider Electric and luxury group Kering.

Track record  

Most of Accuracy’s engagements remain confidential. The firm has experience in supply chain-related fraud, FCPA, tax fraud and embezzlement cases, both in internal and government-facing investigations. It often acts on these types of engagements along with one or more of the GIR 30-ranked law firms.