Justice served at last!
Lawyer who led Iraq veterans 'witch hunt' failed to convince tribunal he was too unwell and poor to turn up.
The disgraced lawyer who led the witch hunt against Iraq war veterans failed to convince a disciplinary tribunal that he was too unwell to attend, it has been revealed.
Phil Shiner was struck off the solicitor roll after pursuing a decade-long "witch hunt" against innocent British soldiers in Iraq which prompted a failed £100m taxpayer-funded investigation into allegations of abuse and torture of Iraqis.
His firm Public Interest Lawyers (PIL), which was paid more than £200,000 by the Ministry of Defence, folded in the summer after the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) withdrew funding and warned it would try to recoup millions.
Mr Shiner's work prompted the creation of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat) but it was shut down a week after the lawyer's hearing.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found him guilty of 22 misconduct charges, including five of dishonesty, after the two-day hearing brought by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
Johnny Mercer MP, a former Army officer, called Mr Shiner a “modern-day traitor" and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon demanded an apology.
Labour peer, Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, said he did good work but "lost his way".
Mr Shiner, who has repeatedly refused to comment to media, has been ordered to pay £722, 983.05 in costs.
The National Crime Agency, in a letter seen by The Telegraph, says it is trying to "ascertain whether there is sufficient evidence to place before the Crown Prosecution Service".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/25/lawyer-led-iraq-veterans-witch-hunt-failed-convince-tribunal/
The disgraced lawyer who led the witch hunt against Iraq war veterans failed to convince a disciplinary tribunal that he was too unwell to attend, it has been revealed.
Phil Shiner was struck off the solicitor roll after pursuing a decade-long "witch hunt" against innocent British soldiers in Iraq which prompted a failed £100m taxpayer-funded investigation into allegations of abuse and torture of Iraqis.
His firm Public Interest Lawyers (PIL), which was paid more than £200,000 by the Ministry of Defence, folded in the summer after the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) withdrew funding and warned it would try to recoup millions.
Mr Shiner's work prompted the creation of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat) but it was shut down a week after the lawyer's hearing.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found him guilty of 22 misconduct charges, including five of dishonesty, after the two-day hearing brought by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
Johnny Mercer MP, a former Army officer, called Mr Shiner a “modern-day traitor" and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon demanded an apology.
Labour peer, Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, said he did good work but "lost his way".
Mr Shiner, who has repeatedly refused to comment to media, has been ordered to pay £722, 983.05 in costs.
The National Crime Agency, in a letter seen by The Telegraph, says it is trying to "ascertain whether there is sufficient evidence to place before the Crown Prosecution Service".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/25/lawyer-led-iraq-veterans-witch-hunt-failed-convince-tribunal/