Outline Chambers

Dr. Charles A. Adeogun-Phillips is an accomplished international lawyer and former lead international prosecutor and head of special investigations at the UN. What he had initially though would be a short-term sabbatical from the rigours of regular practice as a criminal defence solicitor in the City of London, eventually lasted well over a decade. Between 1998 and 2010, he had a pioneering and distinguished legal career at the United Nations, where he successfully led teams of international prosecutors in 12 precedent-setting genocide trials before the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), making him arguably one of the most experienced and successful genocide prosecutors in history.

​His elevation to the rank of senior trial attorney before an international court at the age of 34, by the then Chief Prosecutor of the ICTY/ICTR, Ms. Carla Del-Ponte (former Attorney-General of Switzerland), was equally unrivalled. He also, between 2007 and 2008, served as head of special investigations in the Office of the Prosecutor, under the leadership of Justice Hassan Jallow. (The current Chief Justice of The Gambia). With the 1945 trials of major war criminals before the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg serving as his only precedent, Charles’ work as a lead prosecutor, fighting for justice, on behalf of over 800,000 victims of the worst crimes ever known to mankind, placed him in the forefront of several pioneering developments in the field of international humanitarian and criminal law, cumulating in his citation in the maiden edition of Creswell’s “Who’s Who in Public International Law” in 2007 and in the International Year Book and Statesmen's Who's Who in 2011.

​Since returning to private practice in 2010, Charles specialises in the areas of international human rights law, international criminal law, international civil service law, complex cross border ‘white-collar’ and business crimes, international investigations, and cross border asset recovery. As part of his practice in the area of international human rights, between 2013 and 2014, he successfully represented Christopher Mtikila, the outspoken Tanzanian politician, in his watershed and precedent-setting case against the Tanzanian Government, before the African Court on Human and People’s Rights, resulting in amendments to Tanzania’s electoral laws to allow for independent candidacy for election to public office, as a violation the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, the International Convention of Civil and Political Rights, and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The Mtikila vs. Tanzania case was the first case to be heard by the said Court on its merits since its inception in 2004.

It was also the first case to be decided by the Court in favour of the Applicant and the first case before the Court on the issue of reparations. Charles’ practice in the area of ‘white-collar’ and business crimes has focused mainly on representing sovereign States, major oil and gas corporations, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals in complex corruption and fraud cases, often with cross-border elements. In 2016, Charles was appointed by the Federal Republic of Nigeria to lead the unprecedented corruption investigations and trials of several senior judicial officers in Nigeria, including that of Sylvester Ngwuta, JSC a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Current Work

Charles’ advisory practice in the area of international criminal and humanitarian law has included providing specialist advice to the Nigerian Government in connection with the preliminary examinations launched by the ICC into alleged crimes against humanity and/or war crimes committed in the context of armed conflict between “Boko Haram” and the Nigerian security forces; and to the Military Defence Headquarters in Nigeria, following Amnesty International’s allegations of extra judicial killings of “Boko Haram” members by the Nigerian Armed Forces. He also advises various Governments and international NGOs on ICC related transitional justice issues, including but not limited to; in connection with the 1988 mass extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances of political prisoners in Iran and the allegation of genocide on members of the Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Ethiopia.

​Since 2017, Charles has been retained by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, to investigate, trace and recover over 5 trillion Naira (14 billion US Dollars), currently owed to the Nigerian Government, following its acquisition in 2011, of non-performing loans from some of the country’s ailing commercial banks. Charles is currently engaged as local counsel in a $9.6 billion procurement fraud claim, the largest of its kind, brought before a UK court by a sovereign State against a foreign investor, following a repudiated infrastructure contract allegedly procured by fraud and corruption with the complicity of several public office holders. He also practices in the area of international civil service law, wherein he represents UN staff members in challenging administrative decisions of the UN Secretary-General before the United Nations Dispute and Appeals Tribunals.​​​​​​

Publications

• International Investigations and Prosecutions: Perspectives of a Prosecutor” (2018) (Eleven International Publishing, The Hague).

• Contribution to Contemporary International Criminal Law Issues: Contributions in pursuit of accountability for Africa and the World – “The Evolution and Practice of Guilty Pleas in International Criminal Law” (1st Edition) (2022) T.M.C Asser Press, The Hague).

Jurisdictions

• Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria (1992)

• Senior Advocate of Nigeria (2024)

Expertise

• International Criminal Law;

• International Human Rights Law;

• International Civil Service Law;

• Public International Law;

• International Investigations;

• International Asset Tracing and Recovery;

• Cross-Border White Collar Crime;

• Cross-Border Death-Penalty Cases (Pro Bono)

Called: 2021

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) (2024)

(Transferring Solicitor admitted 1996)

Previous Experience

• Former Lead UN Genocide and War Crimes Prosecutor (1998-2010);

• Former UN Head of Special Investigations (2007-2008);

• Former Special Prosecutor, Federal Republic of Nigeria (2016-2017).

• Founding Partner, Charles Anthony LLP (From 2010)

English, French

Memberships

• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators of England & Wales;

• Law Society of England and Wales; Elected Member, Membership Committee,

• International Criminal Court Bar Association; Council Member, Section on Legal Practice,

• Nigerian Bar Association.

Appointments and Awards

• Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) University of Warwick (2022);

• Creswell’s Who’s Who in Public International Law (2007);

• International Yearbook and Statesmen's Who's Who (2011)

LL.M(London) 1994;

LL. B (Warwick) 1989;

Repton School