Student fights to stay anonymous as UK freezes millions in property in $2bn probe
A masters student with millions of pounds of UK property frozen in connection to a $2bn money laundering probe is petitioning a London court to keep her identity private.
This was reported by FT.
At a hearing in London’s High Court on Wednesday, lawyers representing the woman — known as ‘GKC’ — argued to keep her anonymous on the grounds that she is under “suspicion” rather than facing full action from the UK’s National Crime Agency.
The NCA secured a so-called unexplained wealth order (UWO), which requires individuals to explain how they have lawfully acquired an asset, against the woman in July 2025.
The UWO and linked interim freezing order (IFO) pertain to two multi-million-pound flats in the UK bought in GKC’s name and approximately £800,000 in bank accounts that have been frozen, according to court filings. One of the apartments was purchased for £4mn.
The woman moved to England when she was 16 and attended boarding school. She stated in court documents that she aims to work in banking after completing her masters, and losing anonymity would harm these ambitions. She had no declared income or earnings records when the UWO was sought.
The NCA’s case focuses on whether those assets were given to her by individuals connected to a $2bn money laundering investigation in Singapore. The agency argues that her identity should be revealed, with its barrister Andrew Sutcliffe KC telling the court that the process should not operate under a “cloak of privacy.”
The woman unsuccessfully attempted to have the UWO overturned by the court last month. She is seeking permission to appeal that decision.
UWOs were first introduced in 2018 to target illicit wealth being brought into Britain. Since then, law enforcement agencies such as the NCA have secured high-profile orders against individuals, including the wife of a jailed Azeri banker.
Earlier this week, the Crown Prosecution Service obtained a UWO against a Chinese national and associated UK companies in connection with a property portfolio worth more than £81mn.
GKC’s lawyers argued that she should be granted the same anonymity rights as someone pre-charge in a criminal investigation.
“The obtaining of a UWO is not a public trial. It is the granting of an investigative order to assist the NCA in building a case,” said Tim Owen KC, acting for GKC.
He added: “We are at the stage of the NCA having suspicions. Those suspicions have not crystallised into a decision that there is an evidential basis to pursue a claim.”
Head of Investigations
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