Obaid Kazmi has more than 26 years of experience providing expert services in commercial disputes, forensic accounting investigations and damages matters. He has spent the past 18 years focused on the Middle East and has served as an independent expert witness, expert determiner, consulting expert and arbitrator. A Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner, Obaid has been appointed in matters before DIAC, the DIFC Courts, ArbitrateAD, IICRA and GAFTA.
Obaid’s practice focuses on quantifying damages and lost profits and investigating allegations of fraud, financial manipulation, misappropriation and other financial misconduct. His arbitration and litigation experience spans real estate, technology, manufacturing, energy, education, construction, insurance, banking and logistics. He has testified in disputes involving lost profits and damages, shareholder disputes, directors’ and officers’ insurance claims and allegations of financial manipulation and fraud. His investigative experience includes matters involving bribery, false invoicing, fraudulent payments, misappropriation, market manipulation and insider trading, including investigations involving billions of dollars in assets.
- Appointed as the testifying expert in a dispute between a large regional telecommunications provider and an A2P SMS provider. This dispute related to the breach of the exclusivity clause within the agreement which gave rise to the damages and lost profits claimed.
- Appointed as a testifying expert in a dispute between a Middle East private equity firm and a shareholder in one of its investments. This dispute revolved around the value of the shareholders’ interest in connection with their exit and damages sustained through alleged breaches and misconduct.
- Served as a testifying expert in a dispute between a food services supplier and a food and beverage services company in relation to alleged contract breaches and nonperformance. This dispute revolved around an assessment of damages that were incurred due to alleged breaches. These damages included lost profits, wasted costs, and mitigation efforts.
- Served as an advisory expert to a large Middle East energy conglomerate in relation to an alleged breach of contract and representations it made during the proposal process. This matter involved quantifying the potential damages due to the contractor as a result of the alleged breaches for the purposes of negotiating a settlement.
- Investigated allegations of fraud, financial misappropriation, embezzlement, and conflicts of interest in a large multinational family-owned conglomerate based in the Middle East. This matter resulted in civil and criminal proceedings across multiple jurisdictions and involved damages of over USD 1 billion.
- Appointed as an expert witness in an arbitration in the International Islamic Centre for Reconciliation and Arbitration. Issued the initial expert report that quantified a financial institution’s damages pursuant to alleged contract breaches by its credit card services provider. Damages in this matter considered lost profits, reputational damages, wasted costs, and mitigation efforts.
- Conducted a fraud and misconduct investigation for a multinational oil and gas services firm. This investigation involved allegations that senior management colluded to misappropriate funds using third-party transactions, false invoices, and manipulated supporting documentation. These funds were also used to bribe high-profile government officials.
- Appointed as a co-arbitrator to hear a dispute relating to an alleged breach of contract between two Middle Eastern entities.
Education
- University of Delaware
Bachelor’s degree - Hult International Business
Master’s degree
Credentials
- Licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
- Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
Honors
Lexology Index
Recommended
- Commercial Litigation - Expert Witnesses
- Arbitration Expert Witnesses
Languages
English