The Barrister
Syed Aun Mohammed Bokhari
Biography
Syed Aun Mohammed Bokhari is a Barrister of Lincoln's Inn, an Advocate of the High Courts, and Partner at Mohammedan Law Associates, Islamabad, with more than 25 years of practice before the Honourable Islamabad High Court and the Special Courts, and before the Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan on the special leave of that Court.
His core practice is revenue and financial crime. He has appeared in more than 700 cases, has served on the panel of the Federal Board of Revenue and Pakistan Customs since 2003, and was appointed Special Public Prosecutor under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010 on 17th August 2017. He represented the Government of Pakistan through FBR and Pakistan Customs before the Financial Action Task Force on-site visit on prosecution regimes under anti-money laundering law, and appeared for FBR before the Honourable Islamabad High Court in the Ayaan Ali currency-smuggling case. The Express Tribune reported on 13th December 2021 that he had filed money laundering references worth billions of Rupees in the Rawalpindi customs court against three gold smugglers. He has also assisted the Attorney General of Pakistan in customs and currency-smuggling matters before the Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan.
In recent years his work has extended to legislative drafting and public health law. As Team Lead for Palladium (Pvt) Ltd, engaged through the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, he led an in-depth analysis of 26 Pakistani health laws, submitted in November 2024, and a scoping review of International Health Regulations legislation covering 196 laws, submitted on 6th May 2024. Since July 2025 he has advised the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination on public health ordinances and on the rules, regulations and ordinance of the Nursing Council.
He has written two books, Anti Money Laundering Legislations in the Region: Comparative Study (PILDAT, 2008) and Combating Money Laundering in Pakistan (2011), and has delivered trainings at the Federal Judicial Academy, Islamabad, to District and Additional Sessions Judges, UNODC officials and law enforcement agencies on money laundering, terrorist financing, forensic science and commercial fraud. He taught Corporate Law as visiting faculty at the NUST Business School, Islamabad, from September 2021 to December 2025, and writes on anti-money laundering law for The Nation.
Admission & standing
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14th April 2001
Enrolled as an Advocate
Punjab Bar Council. Practice at Islamabad and Rawalpindi from that date.
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18th April 2003
Enrolled as an Advocate of the High Courts
Punjab Bar Council enrolment number 21639. This is the licence now held, and it carries a right of audience before the Honourable Islamabad High Court and before the Special Courts at Islamabad and Rawalpindi. He is not enrolled as an Advocate of the Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan; since the Rules of that Court permit an Advocate of the High Courts to be heard in a particular case on the special leave of the Court, therefore he has appeared before the Apex Court on such leave, and has assisted the Attorney General of Pakistan there.
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March 2005
Called to the Bar of England and Wales
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, London.
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Current
Practising status
In active practice. The licence is current and no disciplinary proceeding is pending.
Where counsel appears
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Money laundering
Special Court (Offences of Money Laundering)
Trial work under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010, both for the prosecution and for the defence.
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Customs
Special Judge Customs and Taxation
More than 150 matters under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010 before this forum, on the chambers' own record.
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Tribunals
Customs Appellate Tribunal; Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue
Valuation, classification, confiscation and assessment appeals.
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High Court
The Honourable Islamabad High Court
References under Section 196 of the Customs Act, 1969, appeals and writ petitions.
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Apex Court
The Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan
Heard on the special leave of the Court, granted in the particular case, and in assistance to the Attorney General of Pakistan in customs and currency smuggling matters, including Collectorate of Customs v Khudhai Noor.
Languages
English and Urdu, in conference, in pleading and on the record. On who appears at the hearing, on how fees are charged and on what the engagement letter states, see the questions page.
Appointments
Twenty-five years
of briefs.
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July 2025 · present
Legal Consultant, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination
Advising the Federal Government on public health legislation: drafting new laws, amending current laws, rules and regulations, and preparing ordinances on public health. From September 2025, engaged on the rules, regulations and ordinance of the Nursing Council.
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May 2026
Legal Expert, Contech International
Short-term engagement on health legislation, continuing the International Health Regulations brief.
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March 2024 · November 2024
Legal Consultant and Team Lead, Palladium (Pvt) Ltd
Engaged through the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on the Evidence for Health programme: a scoping review of International Health Regulations legislation covering 196 laws, submitted 6th May 2024, and an in-depth analysis of 26 Pakistani health laws, submitted November 2024, with fieldwork in Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta, Karachi and Islamabad.
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September 2021 · December 2025
Visiting Faculty, NUST Business School
Teaching LAW-405 Corporate Law and MGT-811 Corporate Law and Governance at the National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad.
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August 2017 · present
Special Public Prosecutor (Anti-Money Laundering), Federal Board of Revenue
Appointed in May 2017 under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010 and notified on 17th August 2017 by the Ministry of Law and Justice on the recommendation of the Federal Board of Revenue; the appointment is current. More than 150 matters under the Act before the Special Judge Customs and Taxation, prosecuting on the reference of FBR Customs, of the Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation (Customs) and of the Financial Monitoring Unit. Representation before the Financial Action Task Force on-site visit; the Ayaan Ali currency-smuggling case before the Honourable Islamabad High Court; money laundering references against three gold smugglers in the Rawalpindi customs court, reported by The Express Tribune on 13th December 2021; and Special Prosecutor in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills money laundering and tax evasion case, worth more than 2,500,000 US Dollars.
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September 2002 · present
Partner, Mohammedan Law Associates
Litigation and advisory practice in customs, taxation, foreign exchange regulation, import and export, money laundering and allied civil and criminal matters, and in public health law and legislative drafting; more than 700 cases at all levels of the Pakistani judicial system, including the Honourable High Courts.
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2003 · present
Panel Counsel, Federal Board of Revenue and Pakistan Customs
More than 200 cases for FBR and the Collectorates of Customs, Sales Tax and Excise at Rawalpindi, Karachi, Hyderabad and Peshawar; assistance to the Attorney General of Pakistan before the Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan, including Collectorate of Customs v Khudhai Noor.
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2003 · present
Legal Consultant, Ministry of Finance through FBR
Public finance management laws, taxation, revenue recovery, public private partnership and procurement under the Public Procurement Rules, 2004; work with provincial law enforcement agencies and the State Bank of Pakistan on bidding fraud, corruption and money laundering.
Education & Call
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March 2005
Called to the Bar of England and Wales
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, London; Certificate of Standing issued by Lincoln's Inn.
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2001 · 2002
Bar Vocational Course, Barrister-at-Law
City, University of London (Inns of Court School of Law).
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2001 · 2002
Diploma in Professional Legal Skills
City, University of London.
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1997 · 2000
LLB (Hons)
Leeds Metropolitan University.
Recognition & Training
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2nd January 2012
Letter of Appreciation, Federal Investigation Agency
From the Director General, FIA, Islamabad, for training FIA officials in money laundering and human trafficking.
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Ongoing
Federal Judicial Academy, Islamabad
Trainings delivered to District and Additional Sessions Judges, UNODC officials and law enforcement agencies on money laundering, terrorist financing, forensic science and commercial fraud.
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Ongoing
The judges of the Special Courts, throughout Pakistan
Extensive training on terrorist financing and money laundering to the judges of the Special Courts at Karachi and Hyderabad, in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and to the Islamabad judiciary, taking in the Special Courts of the Federal Investigation Agency, the Accountability Courts and the Special Judges Customs and Taxation.
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Ongoing
Special Investigation Unit, Federal Investigation Agency
Extensive training to the Unit which deals with terrorism and terrorist financing, on the investigation and prosecution of the financing offence.
Panels
Panel counsel to the Federal Board of Revenue; Pakistan Customs; and the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Memberships
Law Society of England and Wales; Punjab Bar Council; Lahore High Court Bar Association; The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, London; Islamabad District Bar Association; Islamabad High Court Bar Association.
Instruct the chambers.
The firm receives instructions in revenue, financial crime and legislative work.
Get in touch