Al Tamimi & Company

White Collar Crime & Investigation

Partner, Co-Head of White Collar Crime & Investigation

Ibtissem Lassoued is a Partner and Co-Head of Advisory in the Regional White Collar Crime & Investigations Practice of Al Tamimi & Company, covering all ten of the firm’s jurisdictions.

She graduated from the Sorbonne University (Paris) and joined Al Tamimi & Company in 2007 from the legal department of the French Group Vivendi, where she conducted primarily US litigation (e.g. class actions, Securities and Exchange Commission (‘SEC’) and Department of Justice (‘DOJ’) investigations. Ibtissem Lassoued has extensive experience advising international clients on a spectrum of complex, multijurisdictional white collar crime issues, including but not limited to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, global economic sanctions, anti-corruption matters including the extraterritorial effect of the US FCPA and UK Bribery act, complex fraud, Capital Market investigations, extradition and INTERPOL including challenges to INTERPOL Red Notices, and reputational risks attached to such issues.

Ibtissem has been ranked as Band 1 in Chambers Global for Corporate Investigations for 9 consecutive years since the category’s inclusion and is commended for being ‘at the forefront of the market in this arena, ‘as passionate about her area of expertise as she is knowledgeable’ and ‘stunningly good at what she does’.

In 2019, she was ranked amongst Financial News’ 50 Most Influential Women in Middle East Finance. Ibtissem is also currently serving as a member of the International Advisory Board of the CEELI Institute, a non-profit non-governmental organisation based in Prague, Czech Republic, dedicated to advancing the rule of law. She has been included by Asian Legal Business within the MENA Super 50 since 2021.

Ibtissem’s international profile and engagement with the financial sector has led her to assume an influential role in financial crime reform in the MENA region.

Recent Experience

Conducting numerous reviews of anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies for compliance with regional laws. Assisting clients with extradition matters. Providing legal opinions and trainings to international law firms and Clients. Providing legal opinions to international law firms on the regional laws relating to anti-corruption, specifically with regard to gifts and hospitality, code of conduct, conflict of interest policies. Advising a multinational technology company with training materials to be used for in-house training on the UAE, KSA, Qatar, Kuwait anti-corruption laws including the applicability of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act. Advising a bank on the conduct of an internal investigation into potential mismanagement and breaches of procedure by the CEO. Advising international law firms on the relevant criminal law and procedures relating to internal investigations of long-term kickbacks by companies branches operating in the region. Assisting clients with internal investigations against employees and criminal complaints, and advising on reporting obligations. Providing strategic advice in relation to Capital Markets Authority investigations in Saud Arabia. Advising UHNW clients and challenging Red Notices before the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files at Interpol Headquarters in Lyon (France).

Arabic, French and English

2000 – Master Degree in Commercial Law and DEA Tax Law, Sorbonne University

DEA Tax Law, Sorbonne University