Robert Wyld Consultant

Robert is a dispute resolution lawyer specialising in competition, international trade and anti-corruption law.

Robert is a dispute resolution lawyer specialising in competition, international trade and anti-corruption law. He has advised many national and international clients, including individuals, public and private companies in the banking and securities, aviation, construction, power and energy industries and sovereign governments on all aspects of commercial crime regulation, investigations and prosecutions. His work has a particular focus on commercial crime and fraud, anti-corruption and bribery investigations and prosecutions, sanctions, money laundering, extradition and domestic and international taxation related disputes in Australia and overseas.

Robert has published texts (in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe) on Australia’s anti-bribery, compliance and sanctions regimes and on managing risks in international trade. He was the Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC) for 2015 and 2016 and is an Advisory Board Member of the ACC for 2021 and 2022. He appears regularly across the Australia media as a specialist and expert on bribery and corruption issues.

Robert was recognised in the 2018, 2020 and 2021. Who's Who Legal: Thought leaders – Investigations and is a 2019 Who's Who Legal Investigations leading individual, the only person in Australia to receive these accolades.  

Experience

Current client matters

International Bar Association

Undertaking pro-bono work for the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association (AIBA) (2016-2021), assisting to embed the Anti-Corruption Guidelines for the Afghanistan legal profession, to assist in encouraging transparency and integrity in the legal system and monitoring progress.

Groote Eylandt Aboriginal Trust (GEAT)

Advising GEAT (a Northern Territory Government appointed Statutory Manager and subsequently, the new Trustees) on extensive claims of fraud and breach of trust by former trustees and the Trust’s public officer, and conducting proceedings against the Trust’s former accountants’ auditors and lawyers for recovery of substantial losses.

AWB Ltd

Acted for former employees of AWB Ltd before the Cole Royal Commission investigating the legality of AWB’s wheat sales and the payment of monies for trucking and other fees under the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program and the subsequent ASIC and AFP Taskforce.

Sheahan Lock Partners

Acted in Victorian Supreme Court proceedings for Sheahan Lock Partners in relation to whether funds held by liquidators were the proceeds of crime and subject to restraint and forfeiture to the Commonwealth of Australia under the POCA over contested claims by third party creditors including a US Trustee in Bankruptcy and an Australian trading bank.

Sanction and extradition matters

Advising international and Australian companies on Australia’s sanctions regime and individuals on Australia’s extradition regime.

Fraud and corruption investigations

Conducted fraud and corruption investigations in the construction and energy sectors across the Asia Pacific Region, the Middle East, North and South America and South East Asia.

Bribery and corruption investigations

Advised individual directors and officers on their potential liability in relation to internal and external investigations where bribery and corruption issues arise.

Recognition

Career & qualifications

Qualifications

  • Master of Law, Monash University
  • Bachelor of Arts & Laws (Hons), University of Tasmania
  • Graduate Diploma of Law, Monash University

Memberships

  • Law Society of New South Wales
  • International Bar Association
  • Law Council of Australia

Insights Read more insight

Combatting commercial crime – Australia’s new foreign bribery reforms

After reforms to Australia’s foreign bribery regime were first proposed by the Turnbull Government in 2017, the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Combatting Foreign Bribery) Bill 2024 (Cth) (CFB Bill...

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Russian sanctions: supervening illegality and impact on contracts with Russian interests

In the first case of its kind in Australia, the Federal Court of Australia held that Rio Tinto-backed Queensland Alumina Ltd was correct in interpreting and applying the sanctions imposed by the...

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Forensic investigation reports: are they privileged? Robertson v Singtel Optus Pty Ltd

The Federal Court of Australia has held that an expert forensic investigation report prepared by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Deloitte) for Optus in the aftermath of its September 2022 cyber attack...

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News

External publications

  • GIR Know how – Securities & Related Investigations 2017 - Australia
  • GIR Know how – Securities & Related Investigations 2016 - Australia
  • The Anti-Bribery & Anti-Corruption Review, 1st to 4th Editions (London 2013 – 2016)
  • Handbuch Compliance International (Berlin 2015)
  • OECD, United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime and the World Bank sponsored Anti-Corruption Ethics and Compliance Handbook for Business (New York & Paris 2013)
  • working on a text on Australia’s anti-corruption laws to be published in the US in 2016
  • JWS Guide to Key Foreign Bribery Laws for Australian Corporations, Directors & Executives (Sydney 2012)

Submissions

  • International Bar Association Anti-Corruption Committee Submission to the Australian Senate on Australia’s foreign bribery laws, August 2015.
  • International Bar Association Anti-Corruption Committee Submission to the Australian Attorney General’s Department on the proposal for a Commonwealth Deferred Prosecution Agreement scheme.

Presentations

  • Presentation to Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants on International Foreign Bribery Developments (July 2014).