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MPR Solicitors have instructions from 2 new corporate clients including a well-known fast-food chain. MPR Solicitors are specialists in Criminal defence and Business Crime and have established themselves across London and the UK.

MPR Solicitors can offer a bespoke Partner-led solution to businesses in the areas of business crime, financial crime, civil fraud, asset recovery, VAT and Tax investigations, anti-corruption legislation, employment issues, and business law. We can offer bespoke legal advice packages to our corporate clients.

For more information please email seema@mprsolicitors.co.uk or call us on 020 8607 4660 to see what we can do for you.

MPR solicitors have been instructed to defend a large scale conspiracy to steal case at Aylesbury Crown Court this week. The case will be defended by a specialist criminal lawyer from the MPR complex crime team.

At MPR Solicitors, we specialise in the defence of complex and serious crime. Our solicitors and advocates have many years of experience defending in large-scale conspiracy cases involving SO19, the Serious Crime Directorates, SOCA (Serious and Organised Crime Agency), Operation Trident, Special Projects Units and Flying Squad.

We recently secured bail for a defendant charged with supplying class A and B drugs to undercover police officers in a large-scale drugs conspiracy in the Crown Court in the South East of England. Other defendants not represented by MPR Solicitors remain in custody. The trial will take place later in the year.

In another recent case, MPR Solicitors secured bail for a Colombian national charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs valued at £100,000. Our client made contact with us whilst in custody on remand as her previous solicitors had done nothing to secure bail advising her that she was unlikely to get bail. She transferred her representation to MPR Solicitors, following which we were able to put a successful bail package together and secured bail within 7 days of being instructed.

The question of bail is always an emotional issue as a person’s liberty is at stake. This is more so in cases where serious charges are alleged and the Prosecution object to the granting of bail. Whilst we cannot guarantee bail in each and every case, we have the expertise and the know-how to effectively put a bail package together and to make one at the right time tactically in the course of court proceedings to have maximum chances of success. There are limited opportunities for making a bail application and for that reason it is not wise to make an unprepared bail application as the chances of success are slim and an opportunity is wasted. We have a proven track record for securing bail in some of the most difficult and serious cases. Our success rate is based on meticulous case preparation, drafting and advocacy skills. We endeavour to make contact with all relevant parties who may be able to assist in the making of a bail application and work against the clock to secure our clients’ liberty.

Simple guide to making a bail application:

• In order to make a bail application, the defence must first give a minimum of 24 hours written notice to both the Court where the application will be made and to the CPS of their intention to make a bail application. The written notice must contain the previously raised objections to bail, the grounds upon which the bail application is made and details of any proposed sureties and securities (Bail bonds). This may sound relatively simple but the art in making a successful bail application does lie in the drafting skills and the analytical skills of the defence lawyer. Decisions by the Court in relation to granting bail in most bail applications are usually made on the papers that are presented to the Court. The advocate is present at court to orally make the application and to counter any arguments or opposition that the CPS may have and to answer any questions the Court may have.
• If a poorly drafted notice of bail is lodged then it will not have the desired effect. The key to maximising success rates of bail is to draft a detailed notice of bail and to call oral evidence at the bail application.
• Defendants in custody are not normally produced at a bail application so they do not get to hear the application made by their defence lawyers. Bail applications are usually made before a Judge in Chambers but can also be made in open court at a directions hearing for example when a client will be present in court.
• At MPR Solicitors, we feel it is important that our clients are fully aware of the detailed bail applications that are lodged on their behalf by our solicitors and to this end copies of the notice relating to bail are made available to our clients.
• We also like to make personal contact with all sureties and family members. We will take the time and make the effort to explain the bail process and what the responsibilities of a surety are.
• We guide our clients and their families through the bail process and like to think we offer an expeditious, caring and effective service to maximise the chances of a successful bail application.

Some of the most common bail conditions that can be offered to the Court are as follows:

• Residence
• Reporting to a local police station
• Not entering a specific geographical area
• Curfew during specific hours (can also be subject to electronic monitoring: an electronic tag)
• Non contact with co-defendants
• Not to contact directly or non-directly the alleged victims in a case
• Paying in a security to the court
• Standing as a surety

For further information call us on 020 8607 4660 or email on law@mprsolicitors.co.uk

Another success for the MPR defence team with the acquittal of our client on charges of Grievous Bodily Harm with intent.

Our client is alleged to have stabbed the victim in a frenzied attack during an argument over a girl. Our client maintained a not guilty plea and it became evident to our solicitors that the case was not quite what it appeared at first glance.

After considering our client’s version of events and the forensic evidence and eyewitness evidence, we were able to establish major evidential problems in the Crown’s case. It also came to light via pro-active defence work that one of the eyewitnesses had subsequently been a victim at the hands of the alleged victim in this case. We immediately alerted the police officer in the case to make relevant enquiries as this could potentially have assisted our client’s case and undermined the Prosecution’s case. We were able to discredit the evidence of the main eyewitness as it was becoming more obvious that she was hiding the truth.

Prior to our client’s trial, we also made very detailed written representations to the CPS requesting them to reconsider their views in this case as we felt it was not in the public interest to continue with the Prosecution. They disregarded our representations and even the police officer in the case and the Court were taken aback by the prosecutor’s stance in this case. In the end, following 3 days of evidence at trial, a jury acquitted our client within just a few hours of being told by the trial judge to deliberate.

Our client was awarded a defence costs order and all his legal aid contributions will now be refunded by the Legal Services Commission. In additional we were able to secure the refund of all his travel expenses in going to court over the course of his proceedings.

Call us to see if we can help you 0n 020 8607 4660 or email law@mprsolicitors.co.uk

Our client was charged with conspiracy to money launder large amounts of cash with another. The case involved a complex paper trail consisting of thousands of pages of evidence.

MPR Solicitors had represented this client at the start from the police station investigation stage up to the case being transferred to Southwark Crown Court. We believed that the case against our client was weak and made repeated representations to the Crown Prosecution Service that there was no case to answer. The case was then listed at our request for an application to dismiss at the Crown Court and at the eleventh hour, the CPS finally caved in and discontinued the case against our client only.

At MPR Solicitors, we pride ourselves in giving our clients a personalised and effective Partner-led solutions.

In this particular case, the defence team was headed by Abdullah Al-Yunusi, a Partner and senior barrister at the Firm.

For more information about money laundering investigations and defending prosecutions by the CPS Special Casework Directorate, please contact us on 020 8607 4660 and ask for our Serious and Complex Crime Team or email us in confidence at law@mprsolicitors.co.uk

We acted for a 15 year old girl who was jointly charged with 2 others with affray and ABH on 2 adults.

 Our client denied the allegation from the start. We also represented her at the police station. We were able to advise her throughout the period in police custody and what the best course of action to take in the police interview. The issues in the case revolved around identification and joint enterprise. Our client had no previous convictions but her 2 co-defendants had numerous convictions. Unfortunately, there was no CCTV available in the area where the incident is alleged to have taken place so we were unable to rely upon corroborative evidence of that nature. We decided upon a particular strategy to take at the police station and following charge we had a case conference with our client and her parents so that all parties were fully aware of how the case would be defended.

It is traumatic for both young clients and their parents when facing the criminal justice system and we have the patience and the understanding to explain the law and the issues in a case in a clear and concise manner. We can also arrange for young clients to visit their local courts so that the experience of giving evidence in a trial situation is less of a shock and trauma.

In this particular case we advised our client and her family on what was required for her defence and obtained all the necessary defence evidence to secure an acquittal. We were certain that the case against her was weak and even made written representations to the Crown Prosecution Service about discontinuing the case against her. The CPS decided to continue with the prosecution. Our in-house solicitor-advocate with many years experience of trial advocacy met with our client and her family prior to the trial to discuss the case and to answer any questions that they had about the trial. He was able to put both youth and family at ease and guided them through the trial process. At the trial, our advocate began cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses (the alleged victims) and half-way through his astute and incisive cross-examination, it became very clear to the District Judge that the Prosecution witnesses evidence was simply not credible and requested that the CPS re-consider their view on the continued Prosecution against our client. The case was dismissed and our client was fully acquitted of all charges. She maintains a clean record and can pursue her dream of becoming a solicitor (not in criminal law she tells us!).

For our specialist Youth Court Solicitors call us now on 020 8607 4660 or email law@mprsolicitors.co.uk

Seema Parikh, Managing Partner of MPR Solicitors LLP and specialist fraud lawyer was retained by a South American national to challenge an investigation by SOCA into a Y300 billion bearer bond fraud. The instruments were seized under the Proceeds of Crime 2002 legislation. The value of the bonds in themselves was staggering and involved multi-jurisdictional enquiries in several countries worldwide including banks in Japan, London and Switzerland. The client was a reputable businessman in his own country. Seema conducted careful and discreet negotiations with SOCA and the Organised Crime Division of the Crown Prosecution Service, following which the client was released on bail and allowed to leave the jurisdiction pending further enquiries into the origins and ownership of the bearer bonds.

During the lengthy bail period, Seema Parikh and the MPR Fraud Team conducted pro-active defence enquiries and gathered information and evidence to support the client’s case. This involved cross-border instructions and negotiations and complex paper trails. We provided our client with a united multi-agency defence team which was successful in convincing the CPS not to prosecute him. We were able to clear our client’s name and restore his reputation which was paramount to him.

First week of March saw MPR Fraud Solicitors take on a long-firm fraud case and an HMRC tax investigation into undeclared sources of income arising from HMOs. The team has also been instructed to act for a high net worth individual being investigated by HMRC’s Corporate Fraud Team. MPR Fraud Solicitors are also acting this month for an individual and his wife in relation to a large-scale Benefits Fraud investigation.

Our specialist Fraud Solicitors can advise at all levels of a fraud case whether at the early investigative stages or at full enquiry and prosecution level. There are tight deadlines within which certain information must be provided to HMRC and these requests for information can be quite daunting to a lay client. At MPR Solicitors, we can take that burden and stress away from you and can negotiate on your behalf with HMRC. We are able to put into action a pro-active and responsive action plan working with other professionals in the industry to provide a global service to our clients.

If you are facing a tax enquiry or investigation by HMRC, or have been summonsed to appear at court in relation to any fraud-related offence, we can assist. Please email law@mprsolicitors.co.uk for an initial free consultation or call our central switchboard on 020 8607 4660 and ask to speak to one of our MPR fraud lawyers for an initial free consultation.

To cater for the growing demands of our business and private clients, our new offices at 1 Fetter Lane in the heart of legal London and a stone’s throw from the London Stock Exchange, is just the ticket. We offer a highly discreet personal service for those wishing to avoid Press publicity and have experience in dealing with the media.

Our latest City instructions this month include the following cases which have not made the headlines:

• High-profile Trading Standards prosecution
• Ponzi-style fraud
• Multi-million pound mortgage fraud with parallel proceedings in the High Court
• City Trader and cocaine
• Motoring offences in the City
• Hedge Fund manager in legal arbitration
• High net worth family case

MPR Family Law  and MPR Business Law is a discreet service for the discerning individual. We can offer a totally bespoke service to match our client needs and can work around you and your working/family commitments. Contact Seema Parikh for MPR Business Law and Sapna Shah for MPR Family Law and find out how we can help you when you need it most.

Seema Parikh seema@mprsolicitors.co.uk             

Sapna Shah    sapna@mprsolicitors.co.uk

MPR Solicitors secured the only acquittal in a large-scale drugs conspiracy case which was heard at Lewes Crown Court. The case originally involved 18 defendants charged with conspiracy to supply millions of pounds of class A drugs, importation and money laundering offences. The investigation spanned months of police surveillance, covert audio probes in vehicles and voice recognition evidence. Our client faced many months on remand awaiting his trial but when the time came we were able to successfully challenge and discredit the forensic evidence in the case which was presented by the prosecution. Our client walked free from court upon his acquittal. The defence team in this case was led by Abdullah Al-Yunusi, a senior barrister at the Firm who regularly defends in high-profile cases across the country. He was assisted by a Partner from the Firm’s Serious and Complex Crime team.

It helped our client’s case that he had requested MPR Solicitors to represent him from the very beginning at the police station stage of the investigation. This can often be the most critical stage of any criminal proceedings and the right legal advice at an early stage can make or break a case at trial.

We offer a highly specialist and skilled police station representation service 24 hours a day and can cover all police stations in the South East and the Midlands.

Call our 24 hour emergency police station representation number on 020 8607 4660. Remember, it is your legal right to request the solicitor of your choice and the police are under a duty to respect your choice of legal representation. The service is free.