Ricardo Salinas' Use of Black Cube to Spy on Defense Counsel Sparks Unprecedented Legal Ethics Crisis in the UK

London, 18 August 2025 - A widening scandal threatens to reshape UK civil litigation after it emerged that Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego allegedly hired Black Cube, the controversial Israeli-linked intelligence outfit, to entrap and covertly record the defense lawyer for Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd in a US $115 million loan dispute.

New complaints have now been filed with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the Bar Standards Board (BSB), and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) against a roster of prominent barristers and solicitors, accused of knowingly deploying evidence obtained through this unlawful espionage operation.

⸻

Lawyers and Firms Implicated

The formal complaints specifically name:
• Barristers:
• Stephen Robins KC
• John David Meredith Wardell KC
• Adam Cloherty KC
• Solicitors and Counsel:
• Henry Phillips
• Matthew Abraham
• Ryan Perkins
• Richard Greenberg
• Stephanie Wilkins
• Andrew John Ford
• Edward John Whitney Allen
• Adam Flacks
• Hana Kapadia
• Disa Greaves
• Firms:
• Enyo Law LLP - engaged during the covert recordings
• LK Law LLP - deployed the covert recordings in court

Observers note this may be the largest single ethics complaint against a collective of top-tier UK commercial lawyers in modern history.

⸻

Why This Is a Violation of Legal Ethics

According to the complaints, the implicated lawyers and firms violated some of the most fundamental ethical rules binding the profession:
• SRA Principles & Rules
• Principle 1: Uphold the rule of law and the proper administration of justice
• Principle 2: Maintain public trust and confidence in the legal profession
• Principle 5: Act with integrity
• Rule 1.4: Do not mislead the court or be complicit in client misconduct
• Rule 2.1: Prohibition against misuse or tampering with evidence
• Bar Standards Board Core Duties
• CD1: Duty to the court, overriding client interests
• CD3: Duty to act with honesty and integrity
• CD5: Duty not to undermine public trust
• C8 &rC9: Ban on misleading the court and abusing the advocate's role
• C66: Duty to report serious misconduct

By allowing evidence obtained through entrapment, alcohol-fueled inducement, and secret recordings of a defense lawyer discussing confidential strategy, these lawyers are accused of abetting abuse of justice. Legal experts have already branded this as "one of the gravest attempts to subvert and undermine the justice system in modern UK litigation."

⸻

Potential Consequences

If proven, the repercussions could include:
• Striking Off / Disbarment: Permanent loss of right to practice law
• Costs & Reputational Ruin: Severe financial penalties and career destruction
• Criminal Liability: Possible referral for prosecution for abusing the course of justice- punishable
under UK law by imprisonment up to life

⸻

Broader Implications for UK Law

Legal analysts predict that the Salinas-Black Cube scandal will force reforms, including:
1. Expanded Protections for Legal Privilege - codifying stronger safeguards for lawyers targeted by covert surveillance.
2. Disclosure of Private Intelligence Use - mandatory transparency where litigants deploy investigators or intelligence firms.
3. Court Sanctions for Covert Evidence - new protocols for immediate exclusion and penalties where illicit evidence is introduced.
4. Stricter Professional Discipline - harsher sanctions against lawyers who fail to distance themselves from unlawful client conduct.

⸻

Statement from Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd

"Lawyers are officers of the court first. When they abandon their duties of honesty and integrity to serve an unlawful agenda, they undermine public trust in the entire system. These are not abstract rules - they protect every litigant's right to a fair process. What took place is a travesty, and we are shocked at the lawyers' conduct. We have reported all the individuals involved, and we will trust regulators to take appropriate measures. We will not stand for perjury and abuse of judicial system by Ricardo Salinas's lawyers."

⸻

Conclusion

This case, which combines corporate espionage, misuse of privileged defense strategy, and alleged complicity by respected UK legal professionals, could permanently reshape the rules governing civil litigation and lawyer accountability in the United Kingdom. The outcome of the regulatory investigations may set precedent for how far the courts - and the profession itself - will go to protect the rule of law against the corrosive influence of money and misconduct.

40-44 Floral Street
Covent Garden, London
WC2E 9TB

Investigative Reporting

This release was published on openPR.