After SRA, Bar Standard Board registers complaint against Mehul Choksi’s lawyer Michael Polak

London, United Kingdom: Troubles for Mehul Choksi’s lawyer are rising as another complaint has been registered against the UK based Barrister Michael Polak at the Bar Standard Board (BSB). Earlier, a complaint was also registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on Thursday.

The complainant has maintained that Polak communicated to media and alleged abduction of Mehul Choksi to the Scotland Yard without any real or authentic evidence to back his claims.

A formal complaint against Michael Polak was also filed to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on Thursday, stating that he did not conduct the mandatory KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti Money Laundering) on his client Mehul Choksi prior to taking his case.

The United Kingdom orders all its lawyers to conduct compulsory KYC and AML checks on all their clients. However, as Mehul Choksi is a declared fugitive and fraudster by the government of India, it appears that Polak did not follow the guidelines.

After a series of complaints registered against Lawyer Michael Polak regarding his lack of conduct, it is expected that the Bar Counsel could cancel his license, and he would be out of practice if the people he alleged comes out clean in the investigations.

In England, the Inns of Court (the governing body of barristers) and the Law Society (the governing body of solicitors) both have the power to remove the attorneys within their respective organizations from the rolls.

Immediately after the new complaints were registered, Polak changed the address of his office from the website. Earlier the registered office address was “Church Court Chambers Second Floor, Goldsmith Building Temple London EC4Y 7BL United Kingdom,” however, after the new changes are mentioned as “The Argyle Club 25 Southampton Buildings, London WC2A 1AL on June 24 2021,” states Companies House, UK.”

Besides this, the complainant noted that the inquiries at the UK Companies House unveiled that Justice Abroad, controlled and owned by Michael Polak, is pretending to be a Consular/Diplomatic body, which is not relevant as the company is registered as a private limited company under the Companies Act 2006.

His second Company No.53 Legal Limited would also be under the radar of investigations. Suspiciously, the address given by the No.53 Legal Limited is of a council house in the UK, which is more like a small apartment.

Senior lawyers in the UK have stated that fabrication of the evidence is a serious issue and authorities will take action accordingly. It is very important to do KYC and AML on your client before taking the case, or else this might take you into serious trouble.

Michael Polak’s client Mehul Choksi is a declared fugitive by the government of India and is wanted by top Indian agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI). He is accused of defrauding the Punjab National Bank (PNB) worth USD 2billion.

The new twist in the story arrived when Mehul Choksi went missing from Antigua and Barbuda on May 23, 2021, and was later captured in the Caribbean island of Dominica. It is anticipated that Choksi left the country to escape from being extradited to India. However, his family and lawyers continue to push the allegations of his abduction, which the Antiguan Prime Minister has said: “lacks conclusive evidence.”