The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has more than halved the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s ‘excessive’ costs claim in a lawyer’s withdrawn application to terminate his indefinite suspension.
Kofi Agyeman lodged an application to terminate an indefinite suspension imposed by the tribunal in June 2022. It was his third such application. In 2015 the SDT dismissed the application on the basis that Agyeman had ‘failed to adequately demonstrate he was sufficiently rehabilitated’ and in 2021 on the basis that he had not been employed within a firm had not received up to date training.
In February 2022 the SRA approved Agyeman’s employment as a legal assistant with London firm Aminu Aminu Solicitors but opposed the third application to terminate the indefinite suspension.
The SDT judgment, which was considered on the papers, said the SRA ‘considered that Mr Agyeman posed a continuing risk to the public such that the public would be concerned about the propriety of Mr Agyeman returning to practice’.
Shortly after, Agyeman withdrew his application via email citing 'circumstances beyond [his] control'. The SRA did not oppose the withdrawal but sought £1,456 in costs.
Granting the application to withdraw, the tribunal described the SRA’s claim for costs as ‘excessive’ and determined that £650 was ‘reasonable and proportionate’.
The judgment said: ‘The tribunal noted that the only significant change since the application in April 2021 was the permission to work for Aminu Aminu Solicitors.'
