BUT JUSTICE AT LAST FOR LAWYER WHO HOUNDED OUR IRAQ TROOPS
THE human rights lawyer who led the hounding of British troops over the Iraq War faced disgrace yesterday as he admitted drumming up the claims against them.
In a humiliating retreat, Phil Shiner pleaded guilty to a string of misconduct charges and confessed he acted without integrity when he accused soldiers of war crimes.
The disgraced businessman – who faces being fined thousands of pounds – even took the extraordinary step of admitting that he should be struck off.
The Daily Mail exposed how he paid an agent thousands of pounds to urge Iraqis to make abuse claims against our troops.
The agent, Abu Jamal, 59, coldcalled Iraqis and generated hundreds of cases for Mr Shiner’s now-collapsed law firm, Public Interest Lawyers (PIL). The firm was behind most of the 3,389 complaints submitted to the Iraq Historical Allegations Team (Ihat), alleging murder and ill-treatment against soldiers.
Many have since been found to be baseless smears, but the controversial £57million inquiry is still investigating hundreds of soldiers.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: ‘Phil Shiner made the lives of soldiers a misery by pursuing false allegations of torture and murder.
‘Finally he has admitted he was reckless and acted without integrity.
‘He should now apologise to the soldiers whose reputations he attempted to traduce.’
Meanwhile, former Army Captain Johnny Mercer – a Tory MP who campaigned on behalf of hounded troops – said Ihat should be shut down and the cases thrown out.
He told the Mail: ‘Phil Shiner’s
‘Reckless and without integrity’
evidence has driven the majority of claims submitted to Ihat.
‘It is sad that it has taken him to fall on his sword. We should have been more robust in defence of our guys. Ihat should now close.’
Ihat was set up in 2010 by the Labour government to fulfil Britain’s obligations under the Human Rights Act. It started off with a few dozen cases but by March 2016, the number of allegations jumped to more than 3,000. Most were submitted by PIL.
Mr Shiner – who was handed taxpayers’ millions in legal aid – also handed files on soldiers to the International Criminal Court and launched civil claims in the courts. But in June, his pursuit of veterans ended as he was charged by the solicitors’ professional body for misconduct.
By August – after he was told PIL would face a tribunal and the Government pulled its legal aid – the firm closed. Yesterday a disciplinary tribunal sat for the first time in public – after Mr Shiner backed down in his fight to have it heard in secret on the grounds he was unwell.
The hearing in London heard how Mr Shiner was charged with 24 allegations of misconduct.
He admitted acting without integrity, recklessly and one charge of professional misconduct, but denied acting dishonestly.
He also denied that he misled the £31million Al-Sweady inquiry into claims troops tortured Iraqis and misled a body to get legal aid.
Mr Shiner admitted nine allegations of acting without integrity, including that he made ‘unsolicited direct approaches’ to potential clients through a fixer, understood to be Abu Jamal.
He admitted authorising ‘financial benefits’ to Jamal to ‘persuade him to change his evidence’ into how clients who went before the AlSweady inquiry had been found.
He also admitted acting recklessly by claiming in February 2008 that the British Army had unlawfully killed, tortured and mistreated Iraqi civilians at the Battle of Danny Boy.
Andrew Tabachnik, putting the case against Mr Shiner, said: ‘Even on the basis of his own admissions, Professor Shiner accepts this tribunal must strike him off at the end of this case.’
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard that Mr Shiner would not escape a trial for the other ‘serious allegations’.