Full Profile
Merve is a Senior Associate in the White Collar Crime & Sanctions group at Clyde & Co. She is an English qualified lawyer and is fluent in Turkish.
Merve regularly advises clients on the implications of complex trade and financial sanctions. Her experience includes advising clients in the energy, shipping, hotel, engineering and insurance sectors on the EU and UK sanctions regimes in relation to Russia, Iran, Libya, Iraq and Syria.
Merve’s sanctions practice includes advising on and conducting cross-border investigations relating to suspected breaches of sanctions. She also provides guidance on sanctions compliance which involves conducting risk assessments, developing internal policies and procedures and implementing tailored mitigation strategies to address sector-specific sanctions risks.
Merve also has significant experience in acting for clients in high value fraud litigation in the High Court and Court of Appeal. She has advised clients on internal investigations relating to financial crime and bribery and corruption.
Merve’s secondments with an international commodities company and a marine engineering services client provided valuable exposure to sector-specific challenges, enabling her to deliver strategic, advice tailored to each client's unique objectives.
Experience
Sanctions
- Advising an oil trader on a cross-border investigation relating to suspected breaches of Iranian sanctions.
- Conducting an internal investigation into suspected breaches of Iranian sanctions by a shipping services company.
- Conducting an internal investigation into suspected breaches of Iranian sanctions by a transport sector client, including drafting fact findings reports and voluntary disclosures to the relevant authorities.
- Advising a subsea engineering construction and services company on the application of the UK and EU's Russian sanctions regimes to a contract for the construction of a bespoke pipeline repair system. Managing and drafting related licence applications.
- Advising a global energy company on the EU and UK Russian sanctions implications of importing petroleum products refined in India into the EU.
- Advising a global STS provider on compliance with the EU and UK Russian oil price cap and EU and UK sanctions relating to Russian LNG.
- Drafting and reviewing sanctions policies and procedures, as well as conducting gap analyses for clients in the insurance, shipping and energy sector.
- Conducting a financial crime risk assessment (including in relation to sanctions risk) for a re-insurer client.
Fraud, Asset Recovery and Investigations
- Representing two defendants in a multi-party conspiracy claim relating to renewable energy in the Commercial Court.
- Representing a metals trader in a substantial multi-jurisdictional fraud action brought against 10 defendants in the Commercial Court. Acting for the client in related Court of Appeal proceedings.
- Representing a bank in summary judgment proceedings brought in the Commercial Court in respect of a claim of approximately GBP 90 million relating to outstanding sums due under a facility agreement. Assisting the client and Jersey counsel with related Jersey enforcement proceedings.
- Advising a corporate client on an internal investigation into a financial fraud suspected to have been perpetrated using deepfake technology.
- Representing a commodities sector client on the defence of a strike-out and jurisdiction challenge relating to civil fraud claims brought in the Commercial Court.
- Advising a client on issues arising out of the cum-ex trading scandal.
