Bankrupt Shiner still living in home after Rich List tycoon bought it
When Phil Shiner, the human rights lawyer who led a “witch hunt” against Iraq War veterans, declared himself bankrupt, he tried to outwit the authorities by hiding assets, including his home, to avoid paying £7million debts.
But the financial manoeuvring was spotted by the Official Receiver and, two years ago, the Insolvency Service took possession of his house, a terrace in a leafy street in Birmingham, and sold it on. It looked calamitous for Mr Shiner, once the country’s most feted human rights lawyer. Aged 63, he had lost his business, had been struck off for dishonesty and now it appeared he could be made homeless as well.
But Mr Shiner, currently under criminal investigation by the National Crime Agency, continued living in his home after one of Britain’s wealthiest philanthropists bought it and let him to stay there in return for rent.
Land Registry documents show the house was bought a year ago for £310,000 by Anthony Tabatznik, a London-based tycoon who is reportedly worth an estimated £500 million.
It is not clear how Mr Tabatznik knows Mr Shiner but both have had connections to the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights, a grouping of human rights lawyers which uses “legal means to end impunity of those responsible for torture and war crimes”.
South Africa-born Mr Tabatznik sold Arrow Generics in 2009 for $1.75 billion (£1.38 billion) and devotes much of his time to philanthropic causes. The Sunday Times rich list placed him 269th in the UK.
Mr Tabatznik, 72, an activist film director, has given financial backing to ECCHR. In 2014, Mr Shiner spoke at an event in Berlin hosted by the ECCHR called The Responsibility of UK Officials for War Crimes: Systematic Detainee Abuse in Iraq from 2003-08. Mr Tabatznik runs the Bertha Foundation, which finances filmmakers and lawyers seeking to drive social change.
Mr Shiner declined to comment last week. In a statement, Mr Tabatznik said: “I did indeed purchase [the house] which Mr Shiner now rents. I have no knowledge of any affiliation of Mr Shiner to ECCHR.” Mr Shiner declared himself bankrupt in 2017 after he was convicted of 22 misconduct charges including dishonesty and was subsequently struck off as a solicitor. The allegations related to false claims that British troops committed Iraq War atrocities.
In 2018, the
Insolvency Service uncovered a series of financial deals struck by Mr Shiner before he declared himself bankrupt to avoid paying his £7million debts, including transferring ownership of his house to his daughters. It reversed the sale, placing the house on the open market.
An insolvency expert said it was not uncommon for an acquaintance to buy the home of a bankrupt and allow them to continue living there.
The Insolvency Service investigated deals by Mr Shiner before he declared himself bankrupt and found he had “gifted away” assets worth £500,000.
In a 2018 statement, Justin Dionne, the Official Receiver from the Insolvency Service, said: “Mr Shiner thought he could be clever by giving away his assets to his family members so that when he declared himself bankrupt there wasn’t anything to pay his creditors with. Sadly he was mistaken as all his activities were easily spotted and we have since been able to recover a substantial amount of money.”
His year-long bankruptcy was extended to six years as a consequence.
‘I did indeed purchase the house which Mr Shiner now rents. I have no knowledge of any affiliation of Mr Shiner to ECCHR’