Ex-UK lawyer pleads guilty to fraud relating to Iraq abuse claims

British lawyer Phil Shiner of Public Interest Lawyers pauses between television interviews outside the Palace of Westminster in London, England, June 13, 2007. (Reuters)

• Phil Shiner, 67, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud relating to applications made in 2007 for public funding for legal action
• Following the legal challenge led by Shiner, Britain launched a public inquiry into allegations of atrocities by British troops in 2004

LONDON: A former British lawyer who became known for bringing lawsuits on behalf of Iraqi civilians accusing British soldiers of ill-treatment pleaded guilty on Monday to fraud, Britain’s National Crime Agency said.
Phil Shiner, 67, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud relating to applications made in 2007 for public funding for legal action against the Ministry of Defense, the agency said.
Following the legal challenge led by Shiner, Britain launched a public inquiry into allegations of atrocities by British troops in 2004, after a battle at the Danny Boy checkpoint in southern Iraq.
Shiner and his firm Public Interest Lawyers, however, were widely criticized and the inquiry ultimately concluded in 2014 that allegations British soldiers executed captured Iraqi prisoners and tortured or seriously abused others were untrue.
The charges to which Shiner pleaded guilty related to his failure to disclose, when applying for public funding, that he had asked a middleman to approach potential claimants and had paid for referrals, which breached his firm’s contract, the NCA said.
“This conviction is a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex domestic and international investigation,” said Andy Kelly, head of the NCA’s International Corruption Unit, in a statement.
“Shiner’s actions resulted in untold pressure and anxiety on members of the British Armed Forces, pursuing legal challenges funded through dishonest actions.”
Shiner will be convicted at London’s Southwark Crown Court in December.