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Former MP Fiona Onasanya struck off roll

Former British MP Fiona Onasanya has been struck off the roll of solicitors in England and Wales following a decision by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. 

She was found to have failed to uphold the proper administration of justice, failed to act with integrity, and failed to maintain the trust that the public places in solicitors and the provision of legal services.

The chairman of the three-panel tribunal Edward Nally said yesterday: “A solicitor owes a duty to the court, as an officer of that court. As a parliamentarian makes the law, so a solicitor must uphold the law and rule of law, and sadly in this case, Ms Onasanya has failed in those duties. We must strike off Ms Onasanya from the roll of solicitors.

Disastrous consequences

“The conviction, we are aware, has led to disastrous consequences for Miss Onasanya, both personally and professionally.

“As a solicitor, there are professional consequences that follow from a proven act of dishonesty that has been found by a jury after trial.”

SRA costs

Ms Onasanya was also ordered to pay £6,562 to cover the costs of the prosecution by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

The 35-year-old former MP was elected to represent Peterborough as a Labour MP in 2017. In January this year, she was jailed for three months for perverting the course of justice in connection with a speeding offence, and served just 28 days of the prison sentence.

She continued as an MP during her time in prison. Her application for permission to appeal against the conviction was refused by the Court of Appeal in March.

In mitigation, Onasanya told the panel that she was pursuing avenues to clear her name, saying: “I maintain that I did not do an act tending or intending to pervert the course of public justice.”