The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal involving breaches of anti-money laundering requirements has recorded the following cases.

SRA v Kamran Malik

Summary: The Respondent was convicted of multiple counts of conspiracy to conceal/disguise/convert/transfer/remove criminal property in a ‘well-planned and systematic multi-million pound fraud against a number of financial institutions’ which the Respondent carried out with another person. The total sum generated by the fraud was £1,736,000. On 6 February 2014 the Respondent was sentenced to a period of five years’ imprisonment in respect of all of these offences.

Sanction: The Tribunal found each of the allegations against the Respondent to have been proved beyond reasonable doubt and the Respondent had been sentenced to a considerable period of imprisonment for very serious offences of dishonesty. The Respondent’s conduct had done significant damage both to public confidence in the profession and its reputation, as had the very fact of the convictions.

The Respondent was struck off the Roll of Solicitors and ordered to pay costs of £2,752. Decision number: 11255-2014 / Decision date: 29 September 2014

Read the full decision (PDF) – http://bit.ly/1CIlKGv

SRA v Rukhsana Jabeen Kiani

Summary: The Tribunal found, amongst other allegations, that the Respondent failed to have sufficient regard for her duties under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and the Law Society’s Blue Card Warning on money-laundering because:

• a client made a cash payment into the Respondent’s client account but the Respondent did not perform any money laundering checks, and
• on 2 July 2009 £65,000 was received into the client account from a Mr ‘FS’ and there was no documentation to account for it or to show what inquiries had been made by the Respondent. The Respondent did not perform any due diligence upon receipt of a large sum of money.

Sanction: The Tribunal regarded those allegations which had been proved as being extremely serious. The imposition of a fine or anything less in this case would be an inadequate measure to protect the public, or to mark that seriousness.
The Respondent was struck off the Roll of Solicitors and ordered to pay costs of £43,970.36. Decisionnumber: 11204-2013 / Decision date: 15 October 2014

Read the full decision (PDF) http://bit.ly/12paldH