11 October 2016
Unregistered barrister Mohammed Shafee Shaikh was ordered to be disbarred by an independent disciplinary Tribunal at a hearing on Monday 10 October, following charges brought by the Bar regulator.
The Tribunal's decision follows Mr Shaikh's conviction in April 2015 for fraudulently evading duty on imports, contrary to the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979. It related to a shipment of molasses tobacco that he imported from Egypt.
BSB Director of Professional Conduct Sara Jagger said: "Dishonesty is incompatible with membership of the Bar. The Tribunal's decision to disbar Mr Shaikh reflects this."
Mr Shaikh is an unregistered barrister. He was Called to the Bar in March 2013, but has never practised as a barrister.
The tribunal's decision is subject to appeal.
ENDS
Notes to editors
About Mohammed Shafee Shaikh
Mr Shaikh was Called to the Bar by Lincoln's Inn in March 2013.
About disciplinary tribunals
The appointment, operation, and decisions (including sentencing) of disciplinary tribunal panels are performed by the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service (BTAS). BTAS is run independently of the Bar Standards Board, the barristers' regulator, which is responsible for bringing charges of professional misconduct against barristers. These charges are then adjudicated on by BTAS' tribunal panels.
About the Bar Standards Board
Our mission is to regulate barristers and their professional practice and specialised legal services businesses in England and Wales in the public interest. For more information about what we do visit: http://bit.ly/1gwui8t
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