Committal for Contempt of Court in Open Court at the High Court of Justice (Chancery Division): Khan
Date: 12/01/2022
Before:
Mr Justice Leech
Between:
SOLICITORS REGULATION AUTHORITY LTD
-v-
SOOPHIA KHAN & ORS
Committal for Contempt of Court in Open Court at the High Court of Justice (Chancery Division)
Pursuant to paragraph 13 of the Practice Direction: Committal for Contempt of Court – Open Court dated 26 March 2015
In relation to claim no. BL-2021-001684 and claim no. BL-2021-001684 on 12 January 2022 at the Royal Courts of Justice in London Mr Justice Leech sentenced Ms Soophia Khan to an immediate custodial sentence of 6 months for contempt of court. The basis for the sentence was that Ms Khan committed breaches of orders dated 7 September 2021 and 21 September 2021 made under paragraph 9(1) and/or paragraph 9(5) of the Solicitors Act 1974, Schedule 1, Part II both personally and in her capacity as a director of her firm, Sophie Khan & Co Ltd, and as a director of a third entity called Just For Public Ltd. Ms Khan and Sophie Khan & Co Ltd committed breaches of the first order by failing to deliver up to the appointed agent of the SRA paper and electronic client files, ledgers, diaries, telephone logs and correspondence relating to the firm’s practice, computer records and the firm’s hard disk or server. All three Defendants committed breaches of the second order by failing to deliver up the same items relating to the practice of both the firm and Just For Public Ltd. The court gave permission to Ms Khan to apply to discharge and release her from serving 3 months of the sentence if she complied with the Orders by 4.30 pm on 22 February 2022.