Solicitor profession policeman strikes off a former magic circle paralegal after he pleaded guilty to funding casino binges with the firm’s cash
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has barred an ex-Linklaters paralegal-turned-fraudster from working in the legal sector.
Raza Kanval — who worked at the magic circle firm for more than 10 years — was jailed for 12 months last September after pleading guilty to defrauding his employers of £86,000.
Kanval — who was 36 at the time of sentencing — used duplicate copies of signed invoices to support the struggling business of his friend, Karim Rashid.
But, according City-partner chat-room Roll on Friday, accomplice Rashid, ended up frittering away the Linklaters’ cash in casinos.
Rashid was also sentenced to 12 months for possessing proceeds of crime.
The City giant suspended light-fingered paralegal Kanval in March 2012 before dismissing him later that year. It is understood that none of the global law firm’s clients was prejudiced by the fraud.
The SRA published a note yesterday stipulating that Kanval be subject to a section 43 order, effectively ruling out any chance of him continuing to work at law firms.