Yakoob: Facing three charges
A high-profile Birmingham solicitor, dubbed the ‘TikTok lawyer’ for his activity on the social media network, has been charged with money laundering offences.
Akhmed Yakoob, 37, along with accountant Nabeel Afzal, 38, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 17 June to each face three criminal charges, the National Crime Agency announced.
Mr Yakoob, of Perry Barr, and Mr Azfal, of Edgbaston, both in Birmingham, are accused of money laundering, encouraging money laundering, and contravening a requirement to apply customer due diligence measures when establishing a business relationship.
The offences are alleged to have been committed between 18 February 2020 and 8 January 2021.
In a short social media video yesterday likely referencing the charges, with hashtags including #fakenews and #innocent, Mr Yakoob said: “Today’s newspapers are only going to be used to wrap up tomorrow’s bag of chips. All is well. Alhamdulillah [praise be to God]. Remember that.”
Mr Yakoob, director of Maurice Andrews Solicitors, describes himself on its website as “a pillar of unwavering dedication and unparalleled legal acumen [who] has cemented his position as one of the UK’s leading legal minds, especially in complex matters and serious crimes”.
He has 212,000 followers on TikTok and 137,000 on Instagram. He ends his videos giving advice on criminal law with the catchphrase: ‘Remember, there’s a defence for every offence’.
He stood as an independent candidate last year on a pro-Palestinian platform in both the Birmingham mayoral election – coming third with 12% of the vote – and the general election, where he ran Shabana Mahmood, now the Lord Chancellor, relatively close in her constituency of Birmingham Ladywood by securing 33% of the vote and slashing her 28,500 majority to 3,400.
However, he had to apologise and pay damages to a teacher he wrongly accused of racism after sharing what turned out to be a doctored video of her making comments while out canvassing for a colleague who was standing for Labour in local elections.
Mr Yakoob also gained profile by boasting about his lifestyle and especially his collection of luxury cars, including two Lamborghinis, a Mercedes Benz G-Class and a Ferrari F8.
There is indeed in principle ‘a defence for every offence’: time will tell whether the defence is a good enough one, and whether indeed an offence has been committed.