Persons and counterparty
Identity, background and credibility of key persons: background checks, disputes, sanctions, political exposure.
Investment risk
Due diligence and screening
We will check the counterparty, the real owner, the connections and the object, and before signing, we will deliver a risk memo with a recommendation — as long as it is possible to back out or negotiate the terms.
counterparty and beneficial owner due diligencerisk memo with the severity of the findingsrecommendation: sign, negotiate, withdraw
He is responsible for this service
Roman Trnka
Partner · GBH Capital
First the actual situation. Only then the decision.
A legal and financial background check will describe contracts and figures. But he won't say who is the real owner at the end of the chain of companies, whether a key person is on the sanctions list or among politically exposed persons, who owns the neighboring land and why two suppliers have already withdrawn from the plan. This information isn't in reports — it's in people, places, and relationships. Investors, owners and family offices usually only find out when the decision is made and the money is committed.
- The numbers in the statements fit, the risk lies with the real owners and the connections behind them.
- A chain of companies ending abroad hides the real decision-maker and the conflict of interests.
- Sanction exposure, disputes and a negative media trail appear only when it is too late to back off.
- The building and the site carry risks that the table does not capture — burdens, neighborhood, traffic.
Scope
What the product is — and what it isn't.
Includes
- Counterparty due diligence, beneficial owners (UBO) and key persons from public sources.
- Screening against sanctions lists and political exposure of persons (PEP).
- Map of ownership and personnel ties, conflicts of interest, negative media footprint.
- Review of lawsuits, insolvency and foreclosures; the origin of the co-investor's capital.
- Assessment of the object and location during the arranged visit; risk memo for decision.
Does not include
- We do not track individuals or monitor third party communications.
- We do not access non-public, police or bank registers.
- We do not use pretexts, false identities or social engineering.
- We are not a substitute for legal and financial due diligence — we are supplementing it.
Procedure
First the reality. Then measures.
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01
Decision framework
Decision framework
We start from the decision you have to make and choose the depth according to it: a quick check of the counterparty, an extended check of persons and connections, or an in-depth check of the project including the object.
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02
Collection from legal sources
Collection from legal sources
We layer sources: commercial and insolvency register, cadastre, records real owners, records of executions, sanctions lists, public contracts, media archives and OSINT — open source investigations. No excuses, no secret registers.
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03
Analysis and verification
Analysis and verification
We combine the findings into a linkage map and verify from two independent sources. The database layer will be supplemented by fieldwork: an arranged inspection of the object and specialists on people, objects and cyber security.
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04
Briefing and recommendations
Briefing and recommendations
The risk memo ranks the findings according to the link to the transaction: an obstacle to signing, a condition in the contract, or a signal to monitor. At the briefing, we will also go over what we did not find and where the residual risk remains.
Coverage
We examine the layers that appear late in the numbers — people, owners, places and connections.
Ownership structure
The real owner at the end of the chain of companies, hidden partners and connected entities around the transaction.
Reputation and connections
Negative media footprint, conflicts of interest and relationships that are not captured by registers or reports.
Judicial and financial traces
Disputes, insolvency, foreclosures and patterns of behavior from earlier projects of the same people.
Object and location
Easements, adjacencies, approaches and hazards surrounding the property; the object itself during the arranged visit.
Operational risks
Dependencies on suppliers and key people — weak points that compromise returns after signing.
Output for management
Risk memo (summary safety report)
Structured document (PDF) + personal briefing
What the document contains
- Summary for decision on one side
- Findings by Severity: signature obstacle, a condition in the contract, to be followed
- Map of ownership and personnel links to the actual owner
- Assessment of the object, location and operational risks
- What we have not verified and where the residual risk remains
We document each finding with a source and we separate fact from conjecture. A risk memo is written for the decision maker — not for the archive.
Role and mode
Who decides and how we cooperate.
- 01
Head of screening
One contact from the assignment to the final briefing; it holds the scope, deadline and quality of findings.
- 02
Analysts and specialists
Resource analysts and people, objects and cyber security specialists; they are involved according to the nature of the case.
- 03
You as the client
You decide the scope and get clear recommendations, not raw data.
Operational log
- One time check tied to a specific decision or transaction.
- A typical range of days to weeks depending on the chosen depth and number of subjects.
- Ongoing status for larger cases, final briefing at the end.
- Optional continuous monitoring of counterparties after signing — new disputes, insolvency, sanctions, negative media.
- Form
- As a rule, a one-time order before investment; framework cooperation with ongoing monitoring for portfolios or repeated transactions.
- Timing
- We start the moment the decision is realistic and pursue it before it is signed.
- Scope
- Three depths: quick background check of the counterparty, extended check of persons and connections, in-depth check of the project including the object.
- Cooperation
- We work alongside your lawyers and financial advisors, not in place of them.
Discretion
No one will know that you are checking someone or something. We work in mode need-to-know — information is known only to those who need it for work. Assignment, findings i the cooperation itself remains confidential, we store the data securely and pass it on or dispose of it upon agreement. Discretion has its legal limits and we respect them.
- Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA) as standard.
- Need-to-know mode — information only for necessary people.
- Secure data storage, transfer or disposal by agreement.
- Low profile — a background check won't reveal your intent.
Standards and the law
Trusted capacity, within the limits of the law.
- We work within the framework of the relevant authorizations and trade concessions.
- Analysts with experience in security and investigative screening.
- We document each finding with a source and verify it from two independent sources.
- Procedures in accordance with GDPR and the Personal Data Processing Act.
We only check from legal and publicly available sources. We don't use pretexts, we don't access private, police, bank or health registers and we don't track third parties. The processing of personal data is appropriate for the purpose and in accordance with GDPR. We don't do anything illegal — and we'll tell you.
Proof system
Specifically, but discreetly.
A service detail should not end with a promise. It shows an anonymized scenario, methodology and output that management will really use.
We do not show the client. We show the decision.
- 01 A find. Which is really weak.
- 02 Procedure. Who decides and when.
- 03 Output. Risk memo (summary safety report)
Deliverable preview
Risk memo (summary safety report)
- Summary for decision on one side
- Findings by Severity: signature obstacle, a condition in the contract, to be followed
- Map of ownership and personnel links to the actual owner
Part of the GBH group
GBH Partners
Screening of the environment and logistics before entering a new region.
GBH Capital
An investment decision to which a background check adds a security perspective.
GBH Cyber
Cyber resilience and data protection around the upcoming transaction.
GBH Bunker
Physical and object protection of the object we inspect before investment.
GBH Academy
Training of the team that continues to work with the results of the review.
Related services
All services
Advisory
Security consulting
monthly risk brief
monitoring exposure changes
prioritized by impact
Information protection
Protection against industrial and commercial espionage
classification of information
closed escape routes
situational OPSEC rules
Protection against eavesdropping
Protection against eavesdropping (TSCM)
defense technical inspection
finding report with spectrum recording
mode of action
Questions for decision
Is such a check legal?
Yes. We work exclusively from public and legally available sources — registers, cadastres, registers of beneficial owners, sanction lists, media — in accordance with GDPR and within the framework of the relevant authorizations. We don't use pretexts, we don't access private registers and we don't track third parties.
Will the other party know that we are investigating them?
No. We work in a need-to-know mode and with a low profile — verification takes place from available sources, without contact with the subject being verified. Only those who need them for work know about assignments and findings.
Are you replacing legal and financial due diligence?
No, we are adding them. Lawyers and auditors will describe contracts and figures; we add a security view of the real owner, ties, reputation and object. It works best when we run parallel next to them.
How is the verification entered and how long does it take?
We start from the decision and choose the depth according to it: a quick check of the counterparty, an extended check of persons and connections, or an in-depth check of the project including the object. This is typically days to weeks; for larger cases, you get an ongoing status.
What if you find something?
You will receive it clearly and in a timely manner. We document each finding with a source and classify it according to the link to the transaction — an obstacle to signing, a condition in a contract, or a signal to monitor. We recommend what to do with it: different conditions, a postponement, or a calm process.
Do you guarantee to reveal everything?
No, and nobody serious promises that. We work with available resources and there is always a residual risk that we name. The goal is not 100% certainty, but a better basis for your decision.
Speak up before you sign
"A short, no-obligation consultation where we go over your decision and the scope of the vetting in confidence. No pressure and without anyone else knowing."
Tomáš Šlesinger · GBH Group Security Advisor
Contact us
The first step doesn't have to be big. It must be correct.
First contact protocol
First we understand the situation. Then we suggest the next step.
Briefly write what you are dealing with. We will contact you discreetly and arrange a safe call format.
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