An immigration solicitor is considering legal action against the Home Office after he was wrongly accused of using delay tactics to frustrate the immigration system and referred to the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board.
Shaheen Mamun, a solicitor and director at Black Antelope Law, said he was shocked to discover that the Home Office referred him to the SRA and BSB, alleging that he used delay tactics to frustrate the immigration system through the use of pre-action protocol correspondence. Black Antelope Law is regulated by the BSB.
The Home Office claimed four cases were brought without merit. However, Mamun told the Gazette the four cases were positively resolved, and the pre-action protocols addressed urgent procedural failures or omissions, primarily relating to work rights and application registration cards. He provided detailed explanations of the four cases and their outcomes to the BSB.
The Gazette approached the Home Office for a statement on Monday. On Tuesday, the BSB informed Black Antelope Law's head of legal practice that it had received an email from the Home Office, which said the referral 'was made as a result of an error made by their caseworker’.
Mamun told the Gazette: ‘This experience has not only affected me professionally but has also taken a personal toll, particularly given the baseless nature of some of the allegations and the time spent defending what ultimately proved to be lawful, meritorious work.
‘It is deeply concerning that work carried out in good faith, and in line with professional standards, could be met with such a response. This raises broader questions about the chilling effect such actions may have on those representing vulnerable individuals against the state.’
The Home Office has been approached for comment.
