A solicitor caught in the Daily Mail’s undercover sting on immigration lawyers is to face a tribunal hearing.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority this week revealed that it will prosecute Muhammad Hayat, who practised at Hounslow firm Lincoln Lawrence Solicitors Ltd. It is alleged that last year Hayat advised a person he believed to be a prospective client to provide a false narrative in support of an asylum claim to stay in the UK.
The allegation is subject to a hearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and is as yet unproven.
Hayat was suspended by the SRA just over a year ago after the regulator found there was reason to suspect dishonesty. He was one of three solicitors whose practising certificates were suspended followed the publication of the Mail's investigation into immigration lawyers.
The Mail’s story appeared to show practitioners advising clients to lie or create a story to boost their asylum claims.
Hayat applied for a practising certificate for the 2023/24 year but this was rejected by the SRA in March, with the regulator stating that his conduct posed a risk to the public interest and the trust the public places in the provision of legal services.
The Mail’s story prompted a flurry of activity by the SRA and the government. The regulator was summoned to meet with the home secretary and then lord chancellor Alex Chalk urged the SRA to take immediate action against the lawyers and firms named.
The SRA then conducted a wider review of the immigration law sector, the results of which were published last week and found no serious concerns.
