London: Fugitive Mehul Choksi’s UK-based Lawyer Michael Polak got into trouble after complaints were filed against him in Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and Bar Standard Board (BSB) in the UK for fabricating the evidence of the law.
As per the media reports, the Lawyer has taken the case of fugitive Mehul Choksi without carrying out a KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering), which is highly significant in the UK.
The reports revealed that Michael Polak spoke to the media and registered a complaint in the Scotland Yard regarding Mehul Choksi’s abduction without any credible or actual evidence. Polak also released articles on Justice Abroad website using images of some individuals and accused UK residents of abduction without appropriate evidence.
It is expected that SRA will initiate an inquiry against the Lawyer and his firm for not following the KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML(Anti-Money Laundering) while taking the Indian fraudster Mehul Choksi as a client. Moreover, in case people whom he (Michael Polak) have alleged comes clean in the investigation, he would have to bear serious action by the authorities.
The United Kingdom has ordered all of its lawyers to keep checks on their clients and to conduct a compulsory KYC and AML.
An investigation at the Companies House also revealed that Michael Polak’s firm, “Justice Abroad Limited”, ” is named such to make it look like an official government body. It also claims to have a business enterprise of foreign affairs. However, in reality, it is registered as a “private company.”
Immediately after the complaint was filed against the Lawyer, the address of his office from the website from “Church Court Chambers Second Floor, Goldsmith Building Temple London EC4Y 7BL United Kingdom,” to “The Argyle Club 25 Southampton Buildings, London WC2A 1AL on June 24 2021,” states Companies House, UK,” revealed the news reports.
The serious complaints have got Polak into trouble as strict actions could be taken against him regarding the complaint. It is suspected that the Bar counsel could cancel the license of Polak.
Polak’s client, fugitive Mehul Choksi, is wanted by the Indian government in the scam of 2 billion from a state-owned bank – PNB- Punjab National Bank.
The lawyers of Mehul Choksi have claimed that the fugitive businessman was abducted on May 23 2021, from Antigua and Barbuda and was later taken to Dominica. However, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne stated that there is no “conclusive evidence” to prove the “alleged abduction”. He also indicated that he must have gone there by choice.
Michael Polak appears to be extremely media savvy; he also has a profile on “Shutter Stock”, where he shared photographs of himself surrounded by a bunch of media persons. He had been very vocal to speak about the alleged abduction of Choksi; however, he failed to answer questions of the media when asked about why he did not conduct a KYC and AML on Mehul Choksi.
