Solicitor shut down by watchdog vows to clear name

A solicitor shut down by a watchdog in the aftermath of a furious race row that engulfed Scotland Yard today vowed to clear his name.

Shahrokh Mireskandari, 47, said he denies a string of allegations "from A to Z".

The Iranian accused the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) of conducting a racist witch-hunt against him.

And he rejected reports his West End law firm Dean & Dean has effectively closed because there are no practising solicitors left.

He said: "My day will come in court. I have kept quiet. They do not know my evidence.

"I am very confident everything will be exposed. I am confident I will be vindicated.

"Everybody thought I would just bend over and say 'fine.' But I have done nothing wrong. The allegations are false and I can prove they are all false."

Mr Mireskandari's certificate to practise as a solicitor was suspended by the SRA earlier this month. A second solicitor based at the premises was also suspended.

The move came after investigators raided the Gloucester Place offices of Dean & Dean and seized legal and financial documents.

The SRA said it suspended Mr Mireskandari after fears were raised he may have breached rules governing how solicitors handle money.

A spokesman said the suspension is not a punishment, but a decision to protect the public and clients.

He said: "We had serious concerns about his practice and decided it was necessary to close it down in order to protect the public."

It is understood officials are in the final stages of preparing a case against Mr Mireskandari and he could soon face a disciplinary tribunal.

Mr Mireskandari represented former Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur in his race claim against the Metropolitan Police.

The force agreed a £280,000 pay-off after Mr Ghaffur agreed to drop claims he was racially discriminated against by former Commissioner Sir Ian Blair.

The solicitor also represented Commander Ali Dizaei, who is suspended pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct.

Earlier this month Mr Dizaei announced he was suing the Metropolitan Police with claims several senior figures colluded to oust him from duty.

Speaking today, Mr Mireskandari said claims made against him were "garbage". He said: "I think the public is deeply bored reading the same garbage over and over again."

The solicitor said he has been fighting the SRA "for the last few years" over alleged racism and discrimination.

Mr Mireskandari said he left Dean & Dean last month to fight to clear his name and the company remains "alive and kicking". He said: "It's still open and that's that."

No-one answered the telephone at the offices of Dean & Dean and the firm's website was unavailable. It stated: "Our site is currently under review."