Philip Shiner pleaded guilty to three fraud charges(Image: PA)

Disgraced former human rights lawyer admits fraud over fake Iraq war crimes

The head of the National Crime Agency called the conviction of Philip Shiner, 67, 'a milestone' following a long and deep investigation at home and abroad

by · The Mirror

A former human rights lawyer struck off over false torture and murder allegations against British Iraq War veterans on Monday admitted a massive legal aid scam.

Philip Shiner, 67, pleaded guilty to three charges of fraud dating back to 2007 following a five-year investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA). Shiner, of Birmingham, was struck off in 2017 after 12 charges of misconduct were proved against him.

He brought thousands of criminal complaints to the Iraq Historic Investigations Team but not one one was ever charged and it was shut down in 2017. The charges arise from the al-Sweady inquiry, set up by the government, to examine false claims British troops massacred Iraqi civilians in the so-called Battle of Danny Boy in southern Iraq in May 2004.

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Shiner was dismissed from his job as a human rights lawyer back in 2017( Image: SWNS.com)

The £24m inquiry concluded in 2014 that allegations of torture and murder were 'wholly without foundation and entirely the product of deliberate lies, reckless speculation and ingrained hostility'. Shiner admitted three charges of fraud on Monday at the 11th hour.

The shamed lawyer was bailed ahead of sentence on December 2. He was the principal solicitor of the law firm Public Interest Lawyers. He made an application to the Legal Services Commission in 2007 seeking up to £200,000 of Legal Aid funding for his firm to represent clients including Khuder Al-Sweady.

Phil Shiner appearing by video link at Southwark Crown Court in July 2022( Image: PA)

Shiner received around £3m in taxpayers' money while the Al-Sweady inquiry cost the tax payer £24m. He failed to disclose his agent Mazin Younis had been cold calling and making unsolicited approaches to potential clients in Iraq. Shiner also failed to disclose that he was paying referral fees. He was also convicted of providing a witness statement to the Commission in support of his application which was again gained by an unsolicited approach.

Shiner had received millions of pounds worth of taxpayers money( Image: PA)

As a result of the failure to disclose this information, Shiner was able to gain a valuable legal aid contract to enable him to pursue the judicial review. Andy Kelly, head of the NCA's International Corruption Unit said: "This conviction is a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex domestic and international investigation. Shiner's actions resulted in untold pressure and anxiety on members of the British Armed Forces, pursuing legal challenges funded through dishonest actions."