Danny Sanhye

What motivated you to pursue the LLM?

My work necessitates a thorough understanding of the international legal framework and public international law. Before pursuing the LLM, I worked in almost 35 countries as a consultant for international organisations.

Although I had the necessary experience to be competitive for vacant consulting positions, having an advanced degree in law was always a desirable qualification for these organisations.

After completing the LLM, I joined HSBC as Head of European financial crime intelligence on a full-time basis which the LLM contributed to. After that, the African Development Bank led various international investigations of wrongdoings in many countries.

What were you doing before studying the LLM?

I’m a chartered accountant specialising in compliance and forensic investigations of wrongdoings such as fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing, and corruption. My work involved thoroughly understanding and interpreting financial, banking, EU, and UN conventions and countries’ legal frameworks on fraud, money laundering, and corruption.

I hold a specialist qualification as an anti-money laundering specialist and I’m a fully certified fraud examiner. I have been an expert witness in this field for over 20 years. I’ve occupied top positions with the Government of Mauritius as Deputy Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit, with a World Bank Mentor in financial crime, and Consultant of the UNODC in many countries on anti-corruption.

In the UK, I was Head of Forensics in a boutique forensic company and led investigations of wrongdoing on major capital projects in road infrastructure, airports, and water. And worked in top positions in major UK global banks in the financial crime field.

What are you doing now? How did The City Law School prepare you for your current role?

I am currently consulting for the World Bank on money laundering and terrorist financing legal framework deficiency in various countries worldwide. The work consists of conducting national risk assessments, conducting national institutions’ efficiency and effectiveness, and carrying capacity building.

I am also a Legal Consultant for the Council of Europe on the anti-corruption matter, where I participate of lead in the evaluation of anti-corruption legal framework and also benchmarking the implementation of EU directives in national legislation. The LLM course has certainly equipped me to better understand underlying issues underpinning regional and national development of legislation.

What opportunities and experiences did City, University of London offered you whilst you studied, or still offers you?

The LLM gave me a competitive edge over my peers who did not have such qualifications. Also, it helped me to relate my practical experiences to an academic understanding while uncovering academic research undertaken on subjects relevant to my field of work.

Although I did not have formal legal qualifications, such as LLB, to enrol for the LLM City believed in my experiences and commitment to undertake this serious study.

I had several sessions of discussions with my tutors and valuable advice on the structure and choice of my dissertation. The course was also arranged to assist busy working students like me. Let alone that I was in a senior role then and had a family to look after.

How did you find studying in London?

Studying in London was very convenient for me. As a UK citizen living and working in London was business as usual. I had a choice of going to any other universities in London but chose City as I felt the tutors and the Head of the Department was more engaging and connected with the City of London.

During my LLM study, I created time to attend several evening drinks or talks organised by The City Law School on several occasions. The LLM class was very small, with a very small number of working professionals as students. I shared my working experience with a couple of students in the class.

Also, I got to hear views put forward by young students on matters of international perspective. I also enjoyed visiting the library and networking with other students and tutors. My experience as a part-time student was different from full-time or non-working professional students.

Were there any challenges affecting your decision to study the LLM? If so, how did you overcome them?

My greatest challenge was setting enough time to fulfil the time requirements of the LLM study. I had to juggle many balls to create time to be at the course in person, complete the various assignments and conduct the necessary research.

To overcome the time constraint, I worked in tandem with my wife and arranged with my employer for early release and meeting free on specific days.

The tutors were also very tuned in to the extent that all relevant materials to the course were promptly uploaded on the student portal, which I could access at any time and any place. The two-year study went very fast.

Why did you choose The City Law School for your postgraduate studies?

City, University of London has a strong connection with the City of London. As a Londoner, I felt more attracted to it by its very name and because the Law School is renowned for producing world leaders like Gandhi, and Tony Blair, to name a couple.

The School was an easy commute from my residence or my work pace. Its strategic location and its amenities were also factors that I considered before opting for City.

The School offers something unique to practitioners that I did not find in other universities. The flexibility in learning, the environment, and the class size influenced my decision for The City Law School. Although the LLM was more expensive than other universities in London, it was value for money as the classroom was quite modern, and there was almost a one-to-one lecturing when taking into account the number of students in the class.