Public Interest Lawyers to close down 

PIL

Theresa May said to be pleased at closure of Public Interest Lawyers, which submitted allegations of unlawful killing

The government has said it is planning a clampdown on legal firms pursuing what it calls “spurious claims” against military personnel following reports that Iraq war law firm Public Interest Lawyers is to shut down.

The firm, which submitted hundreds of allegations of misconduct and unlawful killing by British troops, is to cease operation at the end of August, weeks after being stripped of legal aid funding, according to a document seen by the Daily Mail.

The document submitted to the high court by PIL reportedly asks judges to make an order that it has ceased to act for 187 Iraqi claimants due to its “permanent closure”. The firm will not pursue a further 1,000 compensation claims it planned to lodge.

PIL represented complainants in the £31m Al-Sweady inquiry and was criticised when the inquiry’s 2014 report concluded the most serious allegations of war crimes following a 2004 battle in southern Iraq were based on “deliberate lies, reckless speculation and ingrained hostility”.

At the start of August it was announced the firm would no longer receive public funding after the legal aid agency (LAA) ruled it had breached contractual requirements. The agency took the decision after reviewing information submitted by the firm, following a Solicitors Regulation Authority investigation.

The prime minister, Theresa May, was said to be “very much pleased” at the closure of the firm. “We made a manifesto commitment to addressing these types of spurious claims that companies like PIL are pursuing,” a No 10 spokesman said. “The closure of PIL shows that we are making progress on that, tackling these types of firms head-on to make sure we get the right outcome for our armed forces who show such bravery in the most difficult of circumstances.”

The spokesman said ministers were currently looking at a suite of measures to prevent firms making bogus claims, including strengthening the penalties for those who abused the system.

The defence secretary, Michael Fallon, said: “This is the right outcome for our armed forces, who show bravery and dedication in difficult circumstances. For too long, we’ve seen our legal system abused to impugn them falsely. We are now seeing progress and we will be announcing further measures to stamp out this practice.”

The long-running Al-Sweady inquiry concluded in its final report that the conduct of some soldiers towards detainees breached the Geneva convention. But it was highly critical of the claims it was initially set up to investigate: that Iraqi detainees had been murdered, mutilated and tortured following the battle of Danny Boy on 14 May 2004 near al-Amarah in southern Iraq.

It found British forces responded to a deadly ambush by insurgents with “exemplary courage, resolution and professionalism”. It suggested some of the detainees – all described as members or supporters of the Mahdi army insurgent group – consciously lied about the most serious allegations to discredit the British armed forces.

Phil Shiner, who ran the firm, was charged by the SRA, which referred him to the solicitors disciplinary tribunal. Shiner has won the right to have the next stage of the disciplinary hearing held behind closed doors.

The firm has had success in the courts, including a case in which it acted for Gurkhas who had been captured by Japanese troops, securing them £40m in compensation.

Source: The Guardian

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