A solicitor and her boyfriend, who used his translation company to falsely inflate Legal Aid claims during an £82,743 scam, were sentenced today.
Babita Attra, 41, worked for top Fleet Street criminal firm Carson Kaye and ensured over-priced translation work went to Alexandru Major, 35, a court heard.
The couple, of Muncies Mews, Catford were both convicted of conspiring to defraud the Legal Aid Agency between March 1, 2016 and February 1, 2017.
They were also both convicted of forgery on or before February 23, 2017 and transferring criminal property, namely £15,300.
Major was sentenced to three years imprisonment and Attra two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, plus 150 hours community service work.
Prosecutor Eleanor Mawrey told Inner London Crown Court four overseas clients of Carson Kaye, who were facing criminal charges, needed important evidence against them translated from English to their native language.
“The Legal Aid process was manipulated by these two defendants and these four criminal cases were manipulated in the same way.”
One Romanian client with poor English needed 113,000 words translated, but Attra falsely claimed for 450,000 words and awarded the £33,800 contract to Major’s company Madison Translations.
That fee was met by taxpayers, via the Legal Aid Agency.
“This was a gross overestimate of the words needed to be translated. She quadrupled it,” explained Ms Mawrey.
Another company provided a cheaper quote, but the contract went to Madison Translations.
“A partner of the solicitors’ firm discovered what was going on and Major assured them everything was okay and there had been some technical problems uploading the correct information.”
To justify the translation fee the work was padded with extra necessary words, the court was told.
“They tried to cover their tracks and come up with translated documents that came up to the figure,” said Ms Mawrey.
“Large chunks of unnecessary legislation were added, for example the Road Traffic Act was added to a drug importation case.
“Once the payments were received by Major he transferred significant portions to Attra,” added the prosecutor.
They were both arrested at home on November 6, 2018 and Attra agreed she submitted quotes, but relied on Madison Translations’ word count.
Major denied any dishonesty and insisted the work was not falsely translated and money he transferred to his co-defendant was cash he owed her.
Attra’s old boss, solicitor John Kaye, told the jury she was employed on a self-employed basis and introduced Major as somebody qualified to act as a police station legal representative.
“He was never employed by the firm and they had a professional relationship as far as I knew.”
Mum-of-one Attra will now be subject to a Law Society disciplinary enquiry regarding her fitness to continue practicing.
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