LOUSY LAWYER BANNED. AGAIN
Solicitor Naresh Chopra has been struck off by the Law Society – for the second time.
The first time came after the High Court found him in contempt for destroying or altering documents in a mortgage fraud case.
After being allowed to work once more as a solicitor, Chopra, 57, from Chigwell, Essex, helped facilitate diamond and fine art investment schemes.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal pointed out that “such schemes were notoriously used by fraudsters”. In this case, 24 victims lost £400,000. They were given a false sense of security by the fact that the payments went through the two law firms where Chopra worked.
But then the money vanished into the pockets of the crooks behind the scams.
In striking him off for a second time, the tribunal ruled that his involvement “lent a veneer of respectability” to the transactions.
It stated that investors “all made it clear it had been explained to them that the monies would be paid into a solicitor’s client account and they were of the view that this would afford them safeguards”.
The investors were not told that Chopra would deduct £200 a time when he moved their money through his accounts.
The tribunal noted he only made modest money – “albeit for little work”.