Steven Powell

Steven Powell is an Executive and Head of ENS' Forensics practice. He is a renowned specialist white-collar crime prosecutor and forensics lawyer. His practice focuses on White Collar Crime.

Steven specialises in leading financial crime investigations that result in successful disciplinary and criminal proceedings, as well as the recovery of losses from offenders in both civil and criminal matters. He has been appointed to act for the South African Asset Forfeiture Unit to execute a multitude of restraint and forfeiture orders to recover the proceeds of crime flowing from corporate fraud, drug and abalone smuggling.

He has performed investigations in, amongst others, the financial, oil and gas, mining, insurance and retail sectors in multiple jurisdictions in Africa. His experience also includes anti-fraud and corruption matters and assisting clients to meet the anti-corruption compliance requirements in the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK Bribery Act, as well as the South African Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act.

Steven also assists clients with anti-fraud and anti-bribery risk assessments, training, due diligence and compliance programmes. He has been commended for his contribution to the work of the judicial enquiry into State Capture led by Judge Raymond Zondo in South Africa, and was recognised as the Financial Crime Investigator of the Year for 2022 by the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators (IAFCI).

He holds a BProc and an LLB from the University of Cape Town and is a PECB Certified ISO 37001 Lead Implementer of Anti-Bribery Management Systems, admitted as an advocate of the High Court of South Africa. He is recognised by Chambers Global Guide for Corporate Investigations and by Best Lawyers for Criminal Defense in South Africa.