Manjit Kaur
Singh
Employee
7010734
Decision - Employee-related decision
Outcome: Control of non-qualified staff (Section 43 / Section 99 order)
Outcome date: 29 November 2023
Published date: 14 December 2023
Firm details
Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome
Name: Lei Dat & Baig Solicitors Ltd
Address(es): 56-58 Renshaw Street, Liverpool, L1 4EN.
Firm ID: 596622
Outcome details
This outcome was reached by SRA decision.
Decision details
Who does this decision relate to?
Ms Manjit Kaur Singh whose last known address is in Liverpool.
A person who is or was involved in a legal practice but is not a solicitor.
Summary of decision
The SRA has put restrictions on where and how Ms Singh can work in an SRA regulated firm. It was found that:
Ms Singh, who is not a solicitor, was involved in a legal practice and has been convicted of a criminal offence which is such that it is undesirable for her to be involved in a legal practice in any of the ways described in the order below.
The facts of the case
Ms Singh was, from 2017 until the events in question, employed as Personal Assistant/IT Assistant to Mr Baig Managing Director and COFA of Lei Dat Baig Solicitors Limited (the Firm).
In summary, the matters relate to Ms Singh's conduct in making 8 unauthorised transfers from the Frim's client account totalling £958,180 between 23 September and 5 October 2021.
On 6 October 2021, Mr Baig identified a discrepancy in the Firm's client account. Ms Singh, denied any knowledge of the discrepancy; however the following day she first informed him that she had sent the money to a company in order to fund a share purchase for her and her partner and, subsequently, she told him that the transfers had been made to her partner. She informed him that she would seek to return the money. However when by 5pm the money had not been returned, Mr Baig contacted the police and Ms Singh was arrested.
Upon investigation, it appeared that the unauthorised transfers were sent to a bank account in Ireland. The money was then moved to an account in Thailand and then to one in the USA. During a search of Ms Singh's desk, a handwritten document was found, headed 'B/Down of funds', which showed eight dates between 23 September 2021 and 5 October 2021 with sums against each totalling £958,180 (the total also recorded in $US). This also contains the words, 'Borrow' and 'clients money'.
On 15 June 2023, Ms Singh pleaded guilty before Liverpool Crown Court, to eight counts of fraud by abuse of position in breach of section 4 of the Fraud Act 2006. She was sentenced on 17 July 2023 to a term of 2 years imprisonment for each count to run concurrently.
Decision on outcome
An order pursuant to section 43(2) of the Solicitors Act 1974 was imposed as Ms Singh's conviction meant that it was undesirable for her to be involved in a legal practice without the SRA's prior approval. The order pursuant to section 43 was made with effect from the date of the letter or email notifying Ms Singh of this decision:
Ms Singh's conduct was serious because she knowingly made 8 improper and unauthorised transfers from client account over a period of 13 days, demonstrating a pattern of behaviour. She was aware that the money belonged to the Firm's clients and her actions caused a shortfall on client account which in turn affected the Firm and its clients. Ms Singh received a custodial sentence for each count of her conviction.
The conviction is for a dishonesty offence. The court therefore found Ms Singh to have been dishonest to the criminal standard of proof. Honesty is required from all those involved in the provision of legal services and Ms Singh has proved that she can act without this.
Ms Singh was also ordered to pay a proportion of the SRA's costs of £600.
What our Section 43 order means for Ms Singh
- no solicitor shall employ or remunerate her in connection with his/her practice as a solicitor;
- no employee of a solicitor shall employ or remunerate her in connection with the solicitor's practice;
- no recognised body shall employ or remunerate her;
- no manager or employee of a recognised body shall employ or remunerate her in connection with the business of that body;
- no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit her to be a manager of the body; and
- no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit her to have an interest in the body
except in accordance with the SRA's permission.