A bookkeeper who had been with his firm for decades has been barred from the profession after taking £15,000 from the client account.
According to a Solicitors Regulation Authority decision notice published this week, Mansukhlal Shah had worked for north London firm Bartletts for 30 years and was trusted with full access to all the firm’s accounts.
But in June 2021, Shah transferred £15,000 into his wife’s personal bank account. His wife was not a client and the money did not belong to her.
The transfer was not discovered until eight months later when the firm noted the money was missing: Shah was interviewed by the firm and admitted what he had done. The following day he returned the £15,000 to the firm’s client account and resigned with immediate effect. The SRA notice did not give any details why he had transferred the money or what it was used for.
Shah, a non-solicitor, admitted the facts of the investigation and cooperated throughout, expressing insight and remorse into his conduct. He was handed a section 43 notice preventing him from working for any regulated firm without SRA permission. He must also pay £300 costs.
