Ghaffar: Three-year sentence
A barrister jailed in 2024 for defrauding the Legal Aid Agency by falsely claiming defence legal costs has now been disbarred.
A Bar disciplinary tribunal found that Rasib Ghaffar, who was called in 1995 and was also a part-time judge, acted in a manner that was likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the public places in him or the profession or could reasonably be seen by the public to undermine his integrity.
Mr Ghaffar was found guilty of conspiring to inflate legal fees and work claimed for in 2011 and 2012 together with solicitor-advocate Azhar Khan, solicitor Joseph Kyeremeh, and legal clerk Gazi Khan.
All were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
Mr Ghaffar pleaded not guilty but was convicted in February 2024 and sentenced that May to three years in jail. His appeal against sentence was rejected.
The prosecutions followed a substantial police investigation into fraudulent claims for defendants’ costs orders submitted to the Legal Aid Agency’s national taxing team on behalf of acquitted defendants in criminal proceedings in Crown Courts.
Earlier this year, Mr Ghaffar sought to challenge his conviction by introducing new evidence from three witnesses. But the Court of Appeal dismissed the application, questioning why they were not called at the trial and also finding their evidence would not support an appeal anyway.
A Bar Standards Board spokesman said: “Mr Ghaffar’s conduct in defrauding the legal aid fund led to a criminal conviction for dishonesty and falls well below the standards that the public expect of barristers. The order to disbar him reflects this.”
The tribunal’s findings remain subject to appeal.
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