The Respondent was owner and director of BK Solicitors Limited. He was also the Compliance Officer for Legal Practice and Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration from 26 February 2020 onwards. BK Solicitors Limited closed on 30 April 2020. The Respondent remained as a director and shareholder of BK Solicitors Limited until 24 October 2021.

An SRA investigation commenced following concerns that arose during an SRA intervention into an entirely unrelated solicitors’ firm. In the course of that intervention, it was identified that the client account of BK Solicitors Limited had received suspicious transactions that had occurred some twenty months after it closed.

Allegations against the Respondent included his participation in the receipt and transfer of funds in circumstances that bore the hallmarks of fraud and subsequently providing false and misleading information during interviews with the SRA on both 21 June 2022 and 6 July 2022. It was further alleged that the Respondent failed to effect an orderly closure of BK Solicitors Limited in a timely manner.

All allegations, including dishonesty, were found proved and the Tribunal ordered that the Respondent be Struck off the roll of solicitors.