imran

Mr Kumar’s Client (Zaidi) was said to be one of the principal Defendants (this trial involved 6 defendants, whilst the other ‘connected trial’ involved 3 other defendants) in a money laundering operation from a fraudulent sale of house in London. The Prosecution’s case was that £ 250,000.00 of the fraud proceeds was dispersed by the conveyancing solicitors into two accounts, one of the accounts which belonged to Mr Kumar’s Client (Zaidi). The Client faced 9 counts of money laundering charges in a 23 counts indictment which alleged that the fraudulent monies were transacted from his bank account to a number of other individual’s bank accounts.  The Client’s case was that although it was his bank account, he did not have control of it at the relevant time and the transfers was actually 

done by a co-defendant in the same trial – effectively running the ‘cut throat’ defence. 

Through his cross examination of the said co-defendant with references to his own bank account’s specific transactions and the Client’s account, Mr Kumar was able to show the Client’s bank account was actually controlled by the co-defendant. 

After Mr Kumar’s extensive and incisive cross examination of the co-defendant, the Judge directed the jury to return verdicts of ‘not guilty’ on the 8 counts that Mr Kumar’s Client was facing. The co-defendant was eventually found guilty by the jury whilst Mr Kumar’s Client was acquitted of all charges including the principal charge of ‘entering into a money laundering arrangement’ contrary to section 328 (1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. 

Read more on the ‘connected’ trial here: