Six months
A barrister has been hit with a six month suspension after failing to comply with a court order to pay more than £64,000.
The Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service found that Zaheer Ahmad behaved in a manner “likely to diminish the trust and confidence the public places in him” by failing to comply with the order made by Wandsworth County Court.
The court ordered Ahmad to pay £54,595.39, along with £9,416.50 in costs to a third party by 5 November 2015. However, the tribunal found that he had failed to comply with this order, and the breaches were considered so serious that a six month suspension was deemed to be the only appropriate sanction.
Commenting on the order, a BSB spokesperson said:
“The public should be able to expect barristers to comply with court orders. Given the sums involved and the length of time, the Tribunal saw Mr Ahmad’s failure to comply with a court order as a serious matter and their decision to suspend him from practice reflects this.”
Ahmad, who was called to the bar in October 2011, can appeal the decision.