Tsamota Limited
UK security and justice consultancy directed by William Wiley; linked to CIJA and OLAF findings
| Tsamota Limited | |
|---|---|
| Type | Private limited company |
| Logo | |
| Founded | 11 December 2006 |
| Founder(s) | William Wiley; Peter Nicholson |
| Dissolved | |
| Registration ID | |
| Status | Active |
| Headquarters | 9 Faulkner Lane, Tamar Close, Sandown, Isle of Wight, PO36 9AW |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Area served | |
| Services | Justice- and security-sector reform; forensic capacity-building; corporate risk mitigation |
| Registration | |
| Key people | William Wiley (director / managing director) |
| Website | tsamota.com |
| Remarks | Co-located with and shares personnel with CIJA; subject of OLAF findings and Belgian court order to repay EU funds |
Tsamota Limited (company number 06024111) is a United Kingdom-registered private limited company specialising in justice- and security-sector reform, forensic capacity-building and corporate risk mitigation in conflict and unstable environments. Incorporated on 11 December 2006, its operations have been overseen since 2008 by William Wiley, who is listed as sole or principal director. The firm is co-located with and shares key personnel with the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) and has been subject to European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) findings and a Belgian court order to repay EU funds.[1][2]
Activities
Tsamota describes itself as a security and justice sector consultancy that “works in the field alongside its clients to mitigate physical, reputational, legal and financial risks.” It states that it is comprised of experts drawn from the ranks of the UN, the International Criminal Court and national police, military and intelligence forces, and that current clients include the UN, EU, UK and US governments. The firm offers services in security and human rights assurance, training, and investigations of alleged human rights abuses and security-force violations. Its natural-resources practice advises extractive companies on international criminal law risks.[3]
Its forensics division provides training programmes and equipment. Since 2010 it has sold materials to UNDP (Central African Republic, South Sudan, Timor-Leste), UNODC (South Sudan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Pakistan) and the Government of Libya, and has completed a GIZ-funded initiative in Kenya on sexual-assault evidence. A dedicated forensics unit is directed by John Ayres, a crime-scene investigator with international training experience.[4]
In December 2013 Wiley met Yemen’s Minister of Justice to discuss training for judicial cadres. The company has also worked in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[5]
Corporate structure and personnel
Registered office: 9 Faulkner Lane, Tamar Close, Sandown, Isle of Wight, PO36 9AW. Nature of business: management consultancy activities other than financial management (SIC 70229). Status: active. Accounts last made up to 31 December 2024.[1]
Peter Richard Nicholson (born June 1958, British/Australian), described in critical accounts as a British military intelligence officer, was a director; he is reported to have resigned in 2011. Caroline Nicholson has been listed as secretary. Wiley (born November 1963, Canadian) is the controlling director. Related entities include Tsamota Canada Limited (incorporated 2014, Windsor, Ontario; Wiley listed as director), Tsamota Criminal Evidence Solutions Limited (company number 09461746, incorporated 27 February 2015; Wiley is person with significant control), Tsamota Natural Resources Limited and Tsamota Group Ltd (Malta, incorporated 27 December 2013; Wiley listed as shareholder, director and judicial representative in the Paradise Papers).[1][6][2]
OLAF investigators reported that “Tsamota has no stable structure and employs only consultants some of them with oral contracts.” From 2016 the physical base of Tsamota/CIJA has been reported in Lisbon, though neither entity was registered as a legal entity in Portugal. A Belgian address previously used was later found fictitious.[2]
Links to CIJA and ARK
In 2011 ARK and Tsamota supported the establishment of the Syrian Commission for Justice and Accountability (later CIJA). Critical accounts state that CIJA originated as a spinout from ARK (founded by presumed MI6 officer Alistair Harris) and Tsamota, that the two entities are co-located and share the same director and key personnel, and that donor funds for early Syrian work were channelled through ARK. Wiley has stated that Tsamota has no links with CIJA.[2][7]
OLAF findings and litigation
OLAF investigated CIJA, Tsamota and ARK and in 2020 announced that its investigation “uncovers fraud,” citing “submission of false documents, irregular invoicing, and profiteering.” In a Belgian court case concerning a €1.834 million EU contract awarded in 2013 for legal education at three Iraqi universities, the tribunal found that Tsamota had presented itself as leading a consortium that never existed (including Ghent University and two private firms). The court ordered Tsamota to repay €378,855.96 to the European Union. OLAF also noted double billing of accommodation in Iraq, excessive security costs, a fictitious UK (and Brussels) address, and artisanal administration. Wiley and CIJA have contested the findings and described OLAF’s approach as an effort to destroy the organisations.[2][8]
Tsamota Limited
Also known as: Tsamota Ltd; Tsamota Limited (company no. 06024111); Tsamota Criminal Evidence Solutions Limited; Tsamota Canada Limited; Tsamota Group Ltd (Malta)
| Period | Amount (£) | Notes / source |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | €1,834,000 (EU contract) | DG DEVCO tender for legal-education project at three Iraqi universities; later subject of OLAF findings and Belgian court order to repay €378,855.96 |
| UK FCO/FCDO direct programme spend | Not separately itemised in public aggregates | Early Syrian SCJA work supported jointly with ARK; some donor funds channelled via ARK rather than paid directly to Tsamota |
| Known direct UK figure | Not publicly broken out | Company describes UK government among its clients; no large multi-year CSSF totals comparable to ARK appear in the collated FCO spending data |
See also
- William Wiley
- Commission for International Justice and Accountability
- ARK
- Peter Nicholson
- European Anti-Fraud Office
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Companies House, TSAMOTA LIMITED Companies House, accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Paul McKeigue, ‘Entrepreneurial justice’ operations related to the Syrian conflict Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media, 25 March 2021 (updated 29 March 2021).
- ↑ Tsamota Ltd presentation, “The application of International Criminal Law to corporate activity,” MineAfrica conference materials, archived 2020.
- ↑ Tsamota, Forensic Equipment Tsamota website, accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ SABA, Justice Minister discusses training areas with Tsamota firm Yemen News Agency, 19 December 2013.
- ↑ ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database, TSAMOTA GROUP LTD ICIJ, Paradise Papers – Malta corporate registry.
- ↑ Kit Klarenberg, Exposing CIA/MI6 ‘Justice’ Operations in Syria Kit Klarenberg, accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ La Libre, La justice belge saisie d’une enquête de l’Olaf La Libre, 5 May 2020.