Now MP jailed for lying to police over speeding faces a ban on legal work
DISGRACED MP Fiona Onasanya faces being struck off by legal regulators.
The former solicitor was freed from jail six weeks ago after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
She is already fighting a byelection petition in her Peterborough constituency that could see her sacked next month. Now it has emerged that she also faces a ban from working in the legal profession – and an unlimited fine.
Onasanya must go before a tribunal this year to face three allegations of misconduct relating to her legal qualification, after she deliberately misled police about a speeding offence.
Onasanya, who was a commercial property law specialist before becoming a Labour MP, is accused of ‘failing to uphold the proper administration of justice’ and failing to act with integrity.
She is further accused of neglecting her legal duty to ‘behave in a way that maintains the trust the public places in her and the provision of legal services’.
The MP is expected to face a full prosecution before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, where she could be hit with a variety of sanctions. These range from suspension to permanent disbarment, while the tribunal also holds the power to issue unlimited fines.
The case was given the green light after the SDT received evidence from the Solicitors Regulatory Authority detailing Onasanya’s alleged wrongdoing.
She was not a practising solicitor at the time of her conviction, having failed to renew her annual licence in 2017 after moving into politics. The
‘She maintains her innocence’
MP was convicted alongside her brother Festus, 34, in January 2019.
Her Nissan Micra had been clocked doing 41mph in a 30mph zone in the village of Thorney, near Peterborough, in July 2017.
She claimed that a Russian tenant at a property rented by the Onasanya siblings was at the wheel, but police discovered the alleged driver was not even in the UK at the time.
Since being released from HMP Bronzefield in February – after serving only 28 days of a three-month sentence – Onasanya has maintained her innocence. Despite being kicked out of the Labour Party, she has refused to surrender her seat.
She has taken part in a number of crucial Commons votes on Brexit while wearing an electronic tag as part of her early-release conditions.
A bill to delay the date of Brexit and avoid No Deal was passed by only one vote this month, having been supported by Onasanya.
Under Commons rules, MPs are only forced to quit if they are sent to jail for more than a year.
However, a recall petition was opened in her constituency last month that will allow voters to decide if she should keep her seat.
If the petition is signed by 10 per cent of the electorate – roughly 7,000 voters – before May 1, then a byelection will be triggered.
While it remains unclear whether Onasanya would contest a potential by- election, the MP has become increasingly vocal in recent weeks and begged voters not to kick her out during a brazen online speech.
In a bizarre video, filmed in front of a backdrop of the New York skyline, Onasanya vowed to clear her name and continue serving as an MP for as long as possible.
She said: ‘People have asked for my resignation – but what would you do if you were innocent? Would you sit back and accept it?’
Her legal team has previously stated that she cannot quit Parliament as the £77,000 salary as an MP is her only source of income.