Disgraced lawyer Phil Shiner admits fraud after exploiting Iraqi complaints against UK veterans

Former human rights figure had filed lawsuits on behalf of Iraqis accusing British troops of torture and murder

Disgraced lawyer Phil Shiner admitted fraud linked to Iraqi abuse claims against British troops. Reuters

Disgraced lawyer Phil Shiner, who alleged that British soldiers had tortured and murdered Iraqis, has admitted his role in relation to a £3 million legal aid scam relating to claims against Iraq War veterans.

Once voted human rights lawyer of the year for his work seeking justice for Iraqi alleged torture victims, his guilty pleas to fraud on Monday cement his huge fall from grace.

The 67-year-old, who was struck off for pursuing false torture and murder allegations against British soldiers, could face a jail sentence of up to 10 years after admitting three counts of fraud at Southwark Crown Court in London on the eve of his trial.

Shiner, from Birmingham, was the principal solicitor of the now-defunct law firm Public Interest Lawyers. He was behind thousands of criminal complaints submitted to the Iraq Historic Investigations Team, which was set up by the UK government to investigate abuse by British soldiers. It cleared soldiers of the most serious allegations of unlawful killing but found there had been some mistreatment of detainees.

Shiner had submitted millions of pounds of legal aid claims to represent his clients. According to the National Crime Agency, he received around £3 million in the value of the contract.

However, he failed to disclose that an agent acting on his behalf and with his knowledge had been cold calling and making unsolicited approaches to potential clients in Iraq. He also failed to disclose that he was paying referral fees. This practice was not permitted as part of gaining a legal aid contract, the crime agency said.

The fraud convictions relate to claims made after the alleged killings of Iraqi civilians at the Battle of Danny Boy in May 2004. One of those who died was Hamid Al Sweady. His uncle, Khuder Al Sweady, alleged that the 19-year-old had been unlawfully killed by British soldiers.

Shiner made an initial application to the Legal Services Commission in 2007 for up to £200,000 of legal aid funding for his firm to represent clients, including Khuder Al Sweady, in an application for judicial review. Following the judicial review, the government set up the Al Sweady inquiry in 2009 to examine whether British troops had massacred Iraqi civilians.

The inquiry, which cost the taxpayer £24 million, concluded in 2014 that allegations of ­torture and murder were “wholly without foundation and entirely the product of deliberate lies, reckless speculation and ingrained hostility”. Following the inquiry, Shiner was struck off by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in 2017 for 22 charges of professional misconduct.

A five-year investigation by the National Crime Agency culminated in Shiner being charged with fraud for “dishonestly failing to disclose” in a legal aid application for a hearing to demand the establishment of the Al Sweady inquiry that he had been “engaging in cold calling and the payment of referral fees”.

Andy Kelly, head of the National Crime Agency's international corruption unit, said the convictions were “a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex domestic and international investigation”. He added: “Shiner’s actions resulted in untold pressure and anxiety on members of the British Armed Forces, pursuing legal challenges funded through dishonest actions”. Mr Shiner will be sentenced on December 2.