CPS lawyer jailed for corruption

A corrupt Crown prosecutor who accepted a £20,000 bribe to discontinue a case has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Swansea Crown Court heard that Sarfraz Ibrahim, an advocate in the Crown Prosecution Service in Gwent, abused his position to advise that a suspect should not be prosecuted.

But the "case" and "suspect" did not exist – it was an "honesty test" set up by the Serious Organised Crime Agency which had concerns about the likelihood of corruption. Ibrahim, 51, of Cyncoed, Cardiff, admitted corruption, perverting the course of justice and misconduct in a public office.

Sentencing him, Mr Justice Treacy told Ibrahim: "You have broken the most sacred rule of any profession. You took money to drop a serious crime. As far as you were concerned you were dealing with a guilty man. Never once did you reflect, hesitate or withdraw, although you had the opportunity. This was not a crime committed on the spur of the moment."