Phil Shiner, a former human rights lawyer, has admitted in court to three counts of fraud in relation to claims made against British Iraq War veterans. Shiner is the former head of Public Interest Lawyers, and he was struck off by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in 2017 for pursuing false allegations of torture and murder against British troops. The National Crime Agency (NCA) called the conviction “a milestone” in its fight against corruption.
The fraud charges to which Shiner admitted relate to allegations of fraud offences over legal aid claims he made in 2007. Shiner applied to the Legal Services Commission for up to £200,000 of legal aid funding for his firm to represent clients in an application for judicial review. The clients included Khuder Al-Sweady, whose nephew was allegedly unlawfully killed while in the custody of British soldiers.
An inquiry into wider allegations of abuse at the hands of British soldiers later established that all the most serious allegations against them had been found to be “wholly without foundation and entirely the product of deliberate lies.” The NCA said that Shiner received £3m in connection with the case and that the ensuing Al-Sweady inquiry cost the taxpayer £24m.
Shiner failed to disclose that an agent acted on his behalf and had been cold calling and making unsolicited approaches to potential clients in Iraq, the NCA said. He also did not disclose that he was paying referral fees, which are not permitted while obtaining a legal aid contract. The NCA said that Shiner’s actions had caused “untold pressure” on members of the British Armed Forces, who were faced with legal challenges funded through dishonest actions.
Shiner will be sentenced on 2 December
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