ADAMANTOPOULOS

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

Konstantinos Adamantopoulos, a Greek Dikigoros and managing partner of the Brussels office of Hammonds LLP (later Squire Patton Boggs), faced a s43 application by the SRA. The Tribunal found he had used the Firm's money for his own benefit without authorisation (HD partnership capital call and Hellenic company set-up costs) and had billed or attempted to bill personal/family holiday travel and accommodation costs to clients as disbursements (Greece August 2009 - billed and paid; Zermatt ski holiday - allocated and draft-billed but pulled when KPMG arrived). It rejected his 'Chinese surveyor' explanation and his conspiracy/back-dating allegations against KPMG and the Firm. Applying the criminal standard and the Twinsectra test, the Tribunal found objective dishonesty but was NOT sure of subjective dishonesty, so found a serious lack of integrity rather than dishonesty. A Section 43 Order was made. The Respondent was ordered to pay £65,000 on account of costs (total schedule over £133,000), with costs subject to detailed assessment. The application to anonymise the judgment was refused.

Duties found breached:

• No taking unfair advantage
• No conflict between current clients
• Segregate client money
• No improper use of client money
• Prompt accounting and return of money

Aggravating factors:

• Conduct was deliberate and objectively dishonest
• Concealment of true nature of personal/holiday expenses billed to clients
• Failure to accept any wrongdoing throughout
• Substituted personal/holiday expenses for lawyer's fees contrary to Brussels Bar rules
• Made serious and unfounded allegations of dishonesty/back-dating against KPMG witness (Mr Dougall) and of document tampering against the Firm without evidence ('dead cats')
• Aggressive and unfocused conduct of the defence that greatly extended the hearing and costs

Mitigating factors:

• No previous disciplinary or regulatory record
• Exemplary professional background, qualifications and standing
• Repaid the monies involved (HD capital call, Zermatt, Greece)
• Clients were reimbursed by the Firm and no client ultimately suffered loss
• Subjective dishonesty not proved; conduct occurred in a culture where he was allowed to 'paddle his own canoe' with little supervision

⚠ figures not found verbatim in the source were dropped: ["review_dishonesty_finding_cue_present"]