Partner Felix Ng speaks in the IBA Transnational Crime Conference in Santiago, Chile 2025
Our Criminal Defence Partner and Head of Antitrust and Competition Law, Felix Ng, was invited to speak at the International Bar Association (IBA) Transnational Crime Conference 2025 on mutual legal assistance and international cooperation among criminal lawyers in Santiago, Chile.
Set against the backdrop of the majestic Andes, the conference attracted about 180 delegates from more than 25 jurisdictions, particularly Latin American (LATAM) countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. A broad spectrum of criminal issues was discussed, including sports corruption, corporate investigations, ESG-related crimes, mutual legal assistance, role of defence lawyers and other trending topics in the region and globally.
Keynote speakers Mr. Matías Walker (Senator of the Republic of Chile) and Mr. Angel Valencia Vasquez (Head of Chilean Public Prosecutor’s office) started the conference by sharing their insight on the recently enacted Economic Crimes Law in Chile and the criminal justice matters in the Latin American region.
Subsequently, Felix joined a global panel of experienced criminal practitioners from France, Ukraine, Brazil, Spain and the United States and examined recent developments in mutual legal assistance (MLA) and international collaboration among criminal lawyers in tackling transnational fraud and money laundering activities.
During this dynamic panel discussion, Felix shared his experience in handling criminal cases involving MLA arrangements under:
(i) multilateral conventions (predominantly under UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime 2000 and UN Convention Against Corruption 2003);
(ii) bilateral MLA agreements between Hong Kong and other jurisdictions;
(iii) letter rogatory requests (which are court issued non-treaty requests); and
(iv) reciprocity undertakings.
He then analysed the effectiveness of these governmental / judicial measures vis-à-vis international collaborative efforts among private lawyers in lodging criminal complaints with investigation authorities and commencing asset recovery proceedings on behalf of clients. He exchanged views with other speakers on the most efficient ways in tackling modern transnational crimes, which are frequently perpetrated in lightning speed.
As the current secretary of the IBA Business Crime Committee, Felix participated in the committee officers’ retreat at a renowned winery, planning impactful initiatives for international criminal practitioners for 2025/26. He also visited the major Chilean law firms and exchanged ideas on collaboration opportunities given the growing importance of China-LATAM relationship in business, investment and cultural matters.
For details of the conference, please visit:
https://www.ibanet.org/document?id=CONF2625_FinalProgramme
For details of Haldanes’ Criminal Defence practice, please click here
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