Lawyer Refused To Reveal Details Of Expenses Claims

A lawyer whose firm was being investigated by a counter-fraud team refused to reveal details of expenses claims, a court heard.

Mohammed Ayub, managing partner of Chambers Solicitors in Bradford, is accused of fraudulently claiming expenses from the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) for interpreters used by the firm. He refused to provide details of travel routes of interpreters at a meeting with Della Jackson, a contracts manager with the LAA at the time, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Jackson told a jury: “He refused and mentioned the Data Protection Act and deemed that the information was confidential.”

“Information was missing from where the interpreters travelled from and to and it rang alarm bells for the auditors,” she said.

Mrs Jackson said Chambers would receive a fixed fee from the LAA for providing legal help to claimants and there was provision to claim for disbursements on top such as the cost of hiring an interpreter or travel expenses.

The rules stated disbursement claims which are submitted on-line had to be “justifiable” and “true” but no documents were required to support such claims.

“On the whole legal help work is done on trust,” she said. Ayub was recorded as submitting every immigration claim since Chambers won a contract for the work with the LAA in October, 2010. The LAA began inspecting Chambers’ books after the firm bid to take on even more clients. Mrs Jackson met Ayub at the offices on October 11, 2011 and he produced an invoice for an interpreter’s services with the name LSS on it. The contracts manager said she recognised the Fulton Street address as just round the corner.

“There was no telephone number or company number or VAT number on the invoice,” she told the court.

She had also never heard of the interpreter mentioned and the matter was later referred to the LAA’s counter-fraud team in April, 2012. Mrs Jackson then asked Ayub by email to provide contact details for the owner of LSS. “He replied and attached certificates and gave contact details for Mohammed Riaz as the person who ran the business,” she said.

Ayub, 55, of Aireville Drive, Shipley, his brother Mohammed Riaz, 48, of Southfield Square,Manningham, and Neil Frew, 48, of Hoyle Court Drive, Baildon, head of Chambers’ immigration department, all deny a charge of conspiracy to defraud the LAA of £600,000.

The prosecution allege the three created a sham company Legal Support Services (LSS) to fraudulently claim money from the LAA, which runs the country’s Legal Aid system. It is claimed inflated invoices for immigration and asylum work were submitted by LSS when no such agency existed or was used.

The trial continues.