Solicitors charged as SFO investigates fraud allegations

The Serious Fraud Office has charged three former and current solicitors and two former clients over an alleged banking fraud involving the alleged dishonest use of banking documents.They are charged with conspiracy to defraud, to steal and to make dishonest use of documents for an illegal accounting purpose.The three are: Minesh Ruparelia, formerly a partner at Ruparelia Thaker of Leicester; Peter Edmund Barnett, former sole principal of Rhodes Barlow of Barnet, Hertfordshire; and Michael Wilson-Smith, formerly sole principal of Wilson-Smith & Co, of St James Street, London.The former clients are Martin Tobias-Gibbins of Berkhamsted and Imdad Ullah of London.