Part-time immigration Judges Kareena Maciel, 46, and Rasib Ghaffar,48, along with part-time Civil Judge Razi Shah are accused of making claims in EXCESS of £12m
Wednesday 18th July | by Cop(ex) | Connect with us on Twitter |
In a case that will shock our readers, a total of THREE judges and SIX other Lawyers who were arrested over an alleged plot to scam over £12.5 MILLION from the legal aid system, appeared in court yesterday (17th July).
Immigration Judges Kareena Maciel, 46, and Rasib Ghaffar, 48, along with another civil Judge Razi Shah are all accused of making claims of over £12.5 Million.
The others charged with this serious offence are legal clark Gazi Khan, 49, barrister Shahid Rashid 57 and solicitors Joseph Ameyaw-Kyeremeh, 67, Azhar Khan, 46, Lloud Moody, 48 and Samira Bashir, 46,
The lead prosecutor in the case, Joe Bird, told Westminster Magistrates Court:
“They are all linked together – different firms, different costs but there’s a common thread between them”.
On the Gov.UK website, it states that:
“Legal aid can help meet the costs of legal advice, family mediation and representation in a court or tribunal.
“You’ll usually need to show that: your case is eligible for legal aid, the problem is serious and/or you can’t afford to pay for legal costs”.
£450 million was recently taken out of the Legal Aid budget in an effort to try and reduce the financial costs associated with the legal aid bill that is picked up by Taxpayers.
Advertisement
Looking to outsource the management of your social media pages? Need training on how to effectively use social media? CLICK HERE
Few people probably realise that there is a specific department that was set up in order to investigate alleged fraud by legal professionals who carry out legal aid work.
On the Gov.UK website, it states:
“The Counter Fraud team are responsible for investigating allegations of fraud by solicitors, barristers and third party experts carrying out legal aid work.
“LAA Counter Fraud works closely with the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board in the delivery of their role.
“To report suspected fraudulent activity you should e-mail the Counter Fraud Team allegations@legalaid.gsi.gov.uk.”
During Court proceedings in this particular case, Prosecutor Bird explained to the Court that:
“The claims were for work not done or grossly inflated.
“they suggested the work had taken far longer than it did.
“It all came to light after the claims were queried.
Maciel and Ghaffar, both of South Woodford, Shah, of Windsor, Berkshire, and Ameyaw-Kyeremeh, of Croydon, all deny one count of conspiracy to commit an offence of fraud by false representation.
Gazi Khan, of Isleworth, west London, Rashid, of Langley, Berkshire, also denies three counts of the same charge
Azhar Khan, of Pinner, Middlesex, denies one count of fraud by false representation and one count of conspiracy to commit an offence of fraud by false representation.
Moody, of Surbiton, Surrey, denies two counts of fraud by false representation.
Bashir, of Slough, faces one count of fraud by false representation and is due to appear in court later today.
All eight have beenn bailed and will appear at Southwark crown court for a plea, trial preparation hearing on 14 August.
⇓
WHILST YOU ARE HERE: Don’t forget to subscribe to our popular fortnightly humour-filled eMagazine that contains the BEST and FUNNIEST material from across our vast network of highly-popular social media pages and groups which IS NOT shared online!
If you enjoy a giggle, then you will love our unique ‘publication’ and best of all, it only costs £1-per month to subscribe!!
Its our £1-per-month subscribers who enable us to keep doing what we do!
You can subscribe using any currency either with Paypal or with a debit/credit card! find out more by clicking here —>
⇓⇓
If you have a story or video to share, then CLICK HERE to contact our team!
We are the only ‘news’ resource dedicated to sharing stories from the worlds emergency services and each member of our team has actually served on the front line of the emergency services/armed forces.
We don’t pretend to understand what we write about – we have actually experienced the many highs-and-lows of being on the front line.
⇓⇓⇓
Follow us on Instagram
Before you go...
In a world where mainstream media narratives often eclipse the harsh realities faced by our valiant men and women in the emergency services, we at Emergency Services News have made it our mission to bring these overlooked stories into the spotlight.
Our team is exclusively composed of dedicated volunteers, all veterans of the emergency services. They commit their time and expertise to this cause, not for financial gain, but out of a shared passion to honour their colleagues and dispel the misconceptions that mainstream media perpetuates.
Despite running at a loss, we persist. We believe in the importance of our mission - to elevate the dignity and courage of those who risk their lives for us every single day. But we need your help.
Your donation directly sustains ESN, enabling the continuous delivery of authentic, critical stories often overlooked by mainstream media. We deeply appreciate your support, which enables us to further our mission of delivering important, underreported stories. Thank you for standing with us and thank you for supporting our team of former emergency services & HM Forces personnel.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
