Muhammad Ali
Employee
7050652

Decision - Employee-related decision

Outcome: Control of non-qualified staff (Section 43 / Section 99 order)

Outcome date: 13 October 2024

Published date: 1 November 2024

Firm details

Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome

Name: Axiom Ince Limited

Address(es): 101 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 1FA

Firm ID: 628201

Outcome details

This outcome was reached by SRA decision.

Decision details

Who does this decision relate to?

Muhammad Ali whose last known address was in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. A person who is or was involved in a legal practice but is not a solicitor.

Summary of decision

The SRA has put restrictions on where and how Mr Ali can work in an SRA regulated firm. It was found that:

Mr Ali, who is not a solicitor, was involved in a legal practice and has occasioned or been a party to an act or default which involved such conduct on his part that it is undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice in any of the ways described in the order below.

The facts of the case

Between 5 May 2021 and 27 July 2023, Mr Ali caused or allowed payments totalling £54,500,000 to be improperly made from the bank account of his employer (Axiom Ince Ltd) when he knew or ought to have known that those transfers were improper. In addition, in the same period he caused or allowed that money to be misused or be misappropriated. Also, on 16 June 2023, he allowed a third party to believe something was true when he knew it was not or had no honest reason to believe it was.

Decision on outcome

An order pursuant to section 43(2) of the Solicitors Act 1974 was imposed as Mr Ali's conduct meant that it was undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice without the SRA's prior approval. The order pursuant to section 43 was made with immediate effect from the date of the letter or email notifying Mr Ali of this decision.

Mr Ali's conduct was serious. For a period of about 26 months, from 5 May 2021 to 27 July 2023, he arranged the improper transfer of £54,500,000 of client money in breach of Rule 5.1 of the SRA Accounts Rules 2011. He caused or allowed some or all of that money to be misused or misappropriated.

Mr Ali was also ordered to pay a proportion of the SRA's costs of £600.

What our Section 43 order means

1. no solicitor shall employ or remunerate him in connection with his practice as a solicitor;
2. no employee of a solicitor shall employ or remunerate him in connection with the solicitor's practice;
3. no recognised body shall employ or remunerate him;
4. no manager or employee of a recognised body shall employ or remunerate him in connection with the business of that body;
5. no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit him to be a manager of the body; and
6. no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit him to have an interest in the body

except in accordance with the SRA's prior written permission.