Anwaar Ul Haq & Sridevi Veldandi

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

Both former partners of Faith and Co Solicitors were struck off. The First Respondent (a registered foreign lawyer) was found to have acted dishonestly under the Twinsectra test by allowing the firm to be used as a vehicle for widespread mortgage fraud, misusing client money and breaching undertakings to redeem mortgages, with approximately £2.8m claimed from the Compensation Fund. The Second Respondent, a solicitor, abandoned the firm by leaving the country in December 2010, leaving no admitted solicitor present, and was found to have failed to act with integrity though no dishonesty was alleged against her. Both struck off; costs of £22,500 ordered jointly and severally. The Tribunal found no mitigating factors.

Duties found breached:

• Diligence and timeliness
• Firm governance, systems and compliance
• Honour professional undertakings
• No improper communication with the court
• No improper use of client money
• Not mislead the court
• Professional indemnity insurance
• Uphold public trust in the profession

Aggravating factors:

• Dishonesty of the First Respondent
• Misconduct was deliberate, planned and repeated over a period of time
• Respondents knew or ought to have known conduct breached obligations to protect the public and reputation of the profession
• Second Respondent's abandonment of the Firm leaving no admitted solicitor
• Failure to engage at all with the SRA and the Tribunal proceedings
• Substantial financial loss - approximately £2,800,000 in Compensation Fund claims
• Premeditated fraud on a massive scale