Nicholas Bortman

Nicholas has more than 20 years of experience in corporate investigations, principally in complex disputes arising from allegations of fraud, expropriation, corruption, contentious restructuring and insolvency.

Much of his work arises in circumstances where formal disclosure is limited or unavailable, the facts are disputed, and the evidentiary record must be substantially developed. This requires identifying what evidence exists, where it can be found, and how to establish its probative value within the framework of the relevant proceedings, including advising counsel on the investigative steps required to develop and support legal strategy. His practice spans the full arc of such matters: gathering evidence in support of primary claims, tracing fund flows, identifying and assessing assets, testing representations made by counterparties, and supporting litigation and recovery strategy.

Nicholas has particular experience in commercial and investor-state arbitration. His work in this area includes collecting documentary evidence across multiple jurisdictions, often in markets with minimal disclosure requirements (particularly across the Middle East and Africa), and supporting the enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards.

A significant element of his practice involves preparing and defending witness evidence, including being cross-examined on the methodology and reliability of investigative findings. Nicholas has given evidence in arbitral, enforcement, and discovery proceedings, most notably as a fact witness in ICC arbitration and related matters between Iraq Telecom (a joint venture between Agility and Orange Telecom) and a Middle East telecommunications company and its owners. His work was explicitly cited as instrumental in the success of the claimant's primary claims and the resulting award of USD 1.65 billion.

Nicholas has participated in matters before DIFC, UAE, Lebanon, Singapore, Mauritius, UK, France, Cayman Islands, BVI, and US courts and arbitration centres, among others, as well as private disputes among Middle Eastern merchant families and royalty. He has acted for UHNW, corporate, sovereign, and supranational clients across an array of sectors including telecoms, technology, energy, and banking. Prior to co-founding Raedas, he spent six years in the Middle East developing a regional practice and working to integrate investigations into local litigation strategy.

Nicholas is also a co-founder of FIND, a not-for-profit company that applies private sector financial investigations expertise in support of civil society groups pursuing justice and accountability for human rights abuses, environmental crime, and war. FIND investigates the financial and corporate structures that enable and profit from harm, and supports accountability efforts including legal proceedings, regulatory action, and advocacy. To date, FIND's work has contributed to over 30 sanctions submissions targeting war crimes and human rights violations, supported survivors of modern slavery in advancing civil compensation claims, and informed submissions to UN fact-finding missions and special rapporteurs. It is funded by the Open Society Foundation and Oak Foundation, among others.

In parallel, he regularly supports civil society organisations pro bono, including the International Criminal Court, where he evaluated the Court's financial investigation practices and advised the Office of the Prosecutor on asset recovery in Africa. He has led training workshops for African supreme court justices on the use of public record financial investigations in combatting cross-border corruption, fraud, money laundering, and other financial crime.

Nicholas was trained by a former Manhattan District Attorney's Office trial prosecutor, providing investigative and analytical support in tobacco and pharmaceutical counterfeiting and smuggling investigations.