Troops’ fury as lawyers in witch hunt are cleared
SOLDIERS reacted with fury yesterday as lawyers who pursued false torture and murder claims against British troops were cleared of a string of misconduct allegations.
Campaigners said it was a ‘whitewash’ that law firm Leigh Day and three of its solicitors were found not guilty of 20 charges after they mounted a £7.5million defence at a tribunal.
The seven-week London hearing – which began after the Ministry of Defence compiled a dossier of the firm’s alleged wrongdoings – was the most expensive brought against a law firm by the solicitors’ watchdog.
Leigh Day, which has represented hundreds of suspected Iraqi insurgents since the end of the Iraq war, was accused of wrongly drumming up cases against troops, causing them ‘years of torment’.
It was alleged the firm pursued false allegations, despite holding evidence the accusers were lying, as part of a business that raked in £9.6million.
But yesterday, a panel found the firm, its senior partners Martyn Day and Sapna Malik, and fellow solicitor Anna Crowther not guilty of allegations of misconduct. Last night the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), which brought the charges, said it was considering an appeal.
The Ministry of Defence said in a statement that it was disappointed, and vowed that it would continue to defend against ‘opportunistic ... false or exaggerated’ claims.
Nigel Kelsall, a spokesman for UK Veterans One Voice, a campaign group that works on behalf of hounded troops, slammed the judgment.
He said: ‘Many veterans are disappointed with the outcome. With all the evidence we thought we
‘Absolutely disgraceful’
would have seen justice done today ... The soldiers think it is a whitewash. It is absolutely disgraceful and shows there are no boundaries when it comes to law firms’ pursuit of innocent brave soldiers who have fought for the country.’
The outcome came after solicitor Phil Shiner, who worked with Mr Day, was struck off for acting dishonestly in relation to cases against troops.
The allegations against Leigh Day and its solicitors centred around their handling of claims alleging the mistreatment and unlawful killing of captives at Camp Abu Naji in Iraq following the Battle of Danny Boy in May 2004.
The SRA prosecuted them following the end of the £31million Al-Sweady Inquiry, which found the most serious claims of murder and torture were ‘entirely false’ and the product of ‘deliberate lies’.
However, yesterday the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ordered the allegations to be dismissed. Simon Tinkler, chairman of the panel, said: ‘None of the allegations made has been proved.’
He also said any decision for costs would be decided after it has published its full reasons for its decisions, which may not happen until August.
Mr Day and Miss Malik were each cleared of 16 misconduct charges. Miss Crowther was cleared of four, including an allegation of destroying a key document. The firm, which denied any professional wrongdoing, was cleared of 11 counts.
Of the result, Mr Day, the company’s founder, said: ‘I am very pleased that I and my colleagues can now get back to doing the work we love.’
A spokesman for the SRA said it needed to see the ‘full detail and rationale’ behind the tribunal’s decision before considering an appeal.