UK High Court overturns Sukul disbarment

Oct 05, 2014 News

The United Kingdom (UK) High Court has overturned the disbarment of the former Appeal Court Judge,

Attorney-at-Law Rabi Sukul

Rabi Sukul. The court, which ruled last Thursday, ordered that his case be sent back to the UK Bar Council Tribunal.
The London barrister, who was called to the bar in July, 1988, was disbarred on February 14, last, for “intentionally misleading his client by drafting false grounds of appeal.”
The former Judge who filed an appeal had his disbarment formally suspended by the Bar Standards of England and Wales earlier this year.
Following the appeal hearing, the UK High Court has ruled the disbarment null and void and ordered that the case be sent back to the UK Bar Council Tribunal which had imposed the disbarment in the Judge’s absence.
His lawyers had learnt that a document dated January 6, 2012 that is central to the case was not disclosed to the Disciplinary Tribunal.
British media had reported that the Bar’s disciplinary tribunal had heard that Sukul drafted a document to the Court of Appeal setting out initial grounds for an appeal against conviction on behalf of his client for drugs-related offences.
The tribunal had found that he had created the document, knowing it to be false, with the intention of misleading his client into believing he had grounds to appeal his conviction, when Sukul knew there were no grounds of appeal.
The five-person tribunal, chaired by His Honour Michael Baker QC, found unanimously that Sukul had intentionally misled his client and engaged in conduct likely to bring the legal profession into disrepute. In his absence, Sukul was ordered to be disbarred.
Sukul had been appointed as the Court of Appeal Judge but following his disbarment, he was asked to resign by Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Carl Singh.
When contacted on Friday, the judge said that he was planning to return to Guyana. Asked about continuing his legal career, the judge said that he would have to proceed one day at a time.