Law firm boss and accomplice given six-year sentence for fraud

The boss of a Bradford law firm and his brother have been jailed for more than six years between them after they were both found guilty of conspiracy to defraud.

Principle partner of Chambers Solicitors Mohammed Ayub, and his brother Mohammed Riaz, were jailed at Newcastle Crown Court on Friday 9 June.

They had been accused and found guilty, along with another accomplice, Neil Frew, of defrauding the Legal Aid Agency through a fictitious business claiming to provide interpreting services.

Riaz claimed an estimated £200,000 in interpreters’ fees, though earlier estimates put this at £600,000, and prosecutors said we may never know how much it amounted to. He was given a sentence of two years and nine months, whilst Ayub was jailed for three years and six months.

The trio were found guilty at a trial at Sheffield Crown Court in November. Back then, the court heard that the trio used inflated invoices for interpretation services over several years, between September 2010 and October 2014.

The firm itself , which had offices in Wakefield and Bradford, was closed down by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

A third defendant, Neil Frew, who was a salaried partner and immigration department manager at Chambers, received a suspended term.

Detective Inspector Ben McDonald of West Yorkshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit said: “This was a lengthy and complex investigation and I would like to thank everyone who assisted in bringing this case to a successful conclusion.

“This sends a clear message to the public that anyone who commits large scale fraud, no matter what their position, will be dealt with accordingly.”