Principal Investigator

Adrian van Straaten

Forensic Investigator | Intelligence Advisor | Litigation Support Specialist

Adrian van Straaten is the founder and principal investigator of Stealth Defence Risk & Forensic Services, a boutique forensic investigations, intelligence and litigation support practice assisting attorneys, insurers, mining houses, corporate clients and selected private clients with complex, sensitive and high-risk matters.

Adrian is engaged where allegations are serious, facts are disputed, commercial interests are at risk, litigation is anticipated, assets or relationships may be concealed, or decision-makers require an independent investigative perspective.

His experience spans fraud investigations, corruption investigations, procurement investigations, contractor investigations, insurance claims investigations, hidden asset enquiries, lifestyle audits, due diligence investigations, intelligence-led assignments and litigation support matters, including assignments associated with significant claims, losses, disputes and commercial interests where the value under consideration approached US$1 billion.

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Why Clients Engage Adrian

Clients engage Adrian because his work combines forensic investigation, intelligence gathering, document analysis, relationship mapping, OSINT research, witness tracing, evidence review and commercial fact-finding.

His value lies in identifying information that matters, separating evidence from assumption and presenting findings in a way that supports informed decisions.

Professional Credentials

Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).
Member – International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI).
Specialist in fraud, corruption, procurement and integrity investigations.
Litigation support, intelligence and evidence development experience.

Representative Areas of Experience

Mining & Contractor Investigations

Procurement investigations, contractor fraud enquiries, supplier integrity reviews, work-permit and compliance concerns, lifestyle audits and operational integrity matters.

Attorney & Litigation Support

Obtaining facts, identifying evidence, tracing witnesses, locating assets, developing chronologies and conducting intelligence enquiries relevant to litigation strategy.

Insurance Investigations

Claim verification, fraud indicator assessment, factual reconstruction, third-party enquiries, asset and lifestyle indicators and recovery-focused support.

Hidden Assets & Lifestyle Audits

Beneficial ownership indicators, related entities, source-of-funds concerns, unexplained wealth indicators and commercial relationship mapping.

Due Diligence & Intelligence

Counterparty integrity reviews, supplier checks, adverse information, OSINT, relationship mapping and strategic intelligence briefs.

Fraud & Corruption

Fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest, procurement irregularities, document irregularities and misconduct investigations.

Selected Engagement Themes

Adrian is typically engaged where a matter requires discretion, investigative judgement and a structured factual assessment. These matters often involve disputed versions, incomplete documentation, concealed relationships, sensitive allegations or commercial exposure.

Mining contractor and procurement investigations.
Insurance claim verification and fraud indicator assessments.
Attorney support involving facts, witnesses, assets and evidence.
Supplier integrity, due diligence and beneficial ownership enquiries.
Lifestyle audits, hidden asset enquiries and unexplained wealth indicators.

How Adrian Works

Matters are approached as evidence-led enquiries rather than generic reviews. The focus is to establish what can be verified, identify gaps or inconsistencies, understand relevant relationships and present findings in a clear format that supports legal, commercial, disciplinary or claims decisions.

The value is not only in gathering information, but in knowing what information matters and how it should be assessed.

Examples of How Clients Engage Adrian

Attorney Engagements

Attorneys typically engage Adrian where a legal matter requires factual development outside the ordinary case file. This may include tracing witnesses, identifying evidence sources, developing chronologies, locating assets, mapping relationships, conducting OSINT enquiries and obtaining intelligence relevant to litigation strategy.

The objective is to support the legal team with reliable factual information, not to provide legal advice.

Mining Engagements

Mining houses and mining-related clients engage Adrian in matters involving contractor fraud, procurement irregularities, supplier integrity concerns, work-permit or compliance issues, lifestyle audit indicators, undisclosed relationships and operational integrity risks.

His mining-sector experience gives context to supplier relationships, contractor environments, site access, procurement controls and operational sensitivities.

Insurance Engagements

Insurers and claims stakeholders engage Adrian where a claim requires factual verification, fraud-indicator assessment, claimant profiling, third-party enquiries, asset tracing, recovery support or reconstruction of events.

The focus is to establish what can be verified, what remains inconsistent and what additional enquiries may be required before a decision is made.