Mohammed Asif DIN

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

Mohammed Asif Din, a solicitor and partner/director at Sovereign Solicitors and Dean Solicitors, was found to have transferred at least £42,500 from firm bank accounts to his personal accounts while recording the payments in the firm's books as disbursements to a costs draftsman (Mr KT) and Infinity Marketing (IM), thereby creating false accounting records. He also provided false and inaccurate information in response to three SRA production notices, including denying that he benefitted from payments and misrepresenting who owned and controlled bank accounts that were in fact his own. The Tribunal rejected his explanation that transfers were repayments of informal loans, finding no credible evidence such loans existed and that the accounting entries were deliberately falsified. The Respondent did not give evidence. Applying the Ivey test, the Tribunal found dishonesty proved on both allegations. He was struck off the Roll and ordered to pay costs of £26,000 (reduced from over £40,000 claimed).

Duties found breached:

• Integrity
• Uphold public trust in the profession
• No improper use of client money
• Firm governance, systems and compliance
• Cooperate openly with regulators

Aggravating factors:

• Conduct repeated over a sustained period (September 2013 to September 2015 for transfers; false statements over 8 months in 2016)
• Creation and maintenance of false accounting records to conceal payments to himself
• Provided false and inaccurate information to his regulator on three separate occasions during an investigation
• Concealment misled staff, partners, auditors, bank and regulator

Mitigating factors:

• No misappropriation of client money
• Previously unblemished record of some 21 years' practice
• Positive character testimonials from colleagues, community and family
• Was helpful during aspects of the investigation and voluntarily disclosed the four cheques