Bindmans LLP
Synthetic identity fraud and failure to declare interests.
Please find my due diligence assessment of Bindmans LLP.
The following directors have been found to have multiple identities registered in Companies House which corrupts audits and due diligence. Herein, I explain the method I am using to detect the more obvious duplications. Humans can deduce that identities with the same name and date of birth are likely to be the same person, which you can confirm often by the use of the same address or occupation, but computers can not. For computer software each identity is an entirely separate person, hence duplicate identities are not taken into consideration in any audit or due diligence tool currently being used, and have never been. Failure to disclose interests is a crime as it enables fraud to go undetected.
John HALFORD personal appointments identity 1, holds one appointment at Bindmans. This gives his date of birth as May 1967. A search of John Halford returns several identities with these names: John HALFORD - Find. Searching manually I looked for other identities with this name and date of birth, there is one, on the second page of results, John Gordon HALFORD personal appointments identity 2. This identity has 2 resigned appointments to the CAMDEN COMMUNITY LAW CENTRE and LAW CENTRES FEDERATION. Referring back to the second page of results, John HALFORD - Find there is another John Gordon HALFORD personal appointments identity 3 who has a resigned appointment to THE PUBLIC LAW PROJECT and 94 BETHUNE ROAD LIMITED. He gained this identity by using a different date of birth, September 1967.
Mohammad Tayab ALI - Find has 2 identities: Mohammad Tayab ALI personal appointments identity 1 "Total number of appointments 1" Bindmans LLP, dob April 1975 and Mohammad Tayab ALI personal appointments identity 2, dob April 1975, he has 4 appointments, the first 3 are active; LABOUR FRIENDS OF PALESTINE AND THE MIDDLE EAST (15030242), BLACK BOX STRATEGY LTD (13396769), INTERNATIONAL CENTRE OF JUSTICE FOR PALESTINIANS (13054048) and INTERNATIONAL LEGAL COALITION FOR PALESTINE LTD (12740649) which is dissolved. I query whether he holds a third identity with a slightly different name MOHAMMAD DIL JAHAN ALI personal appointments identity (3?),dob February 1973, appointed to Bengal Centre UK as a secretary and director. I also query whether he is the person that uses corporate identity TAYABI-TOMLIN LIMITED personal appointments identity (4?) as a director of TAYABALI TOMLIN SOLUTIONS LLP people. Also query whether he used the corporate identity TAYABALI TOMLIN LIMITED personal appointments identity (5?) as a director of CLICK2IGNITE LLP overview.
Tamsin Dorothy ALLEN - Find has 2 identities: Tamsin Dorothy ALLEN personal appointments identity 1. She has 3 appointments, only Bindmans is active the other two are WOODLAND SAVERS LTD (14469871) THE HACKED OFF CAMPAIGN LIMITED (08176670). Tamsin Dorothy ALLEN personal appointments identity 2, one appointment active to RUCKHAUS LTD. (12124706).
Alice HARDY - Find. 2 identities with date of birth November 1977 Alice Vivienne HARDY personal appointments identity 1 appointed to Bindmans and a resigned appointment to SANDBROOK COMMUNITY PLAYGROUP LIMITED (01271562). Alice HARDY personal appointments identity 2 has one resigned appointed to NEW LONDON CHILDREN'S CHOIR LIMITED (02762287).
Siobhan KELLY - Find: Siobhan KELLY personal appointments identity 1, dob December 1975, one appointment to Bindmans. Siobhan KELLY personal appointments identity 2 recently resigned appointment to HEADWAY NORTH WEST LONDON (05283025). Siobhan Mary KELLY personal appointments identity 3 resigned appointments to NO 3 VICTORIA WALK, COTHAM LTD (02180251), occupation solicitor.
Amrit Kaur RANA - Find has 3 identities. Amrit Kaur RANA personal appointments identity 1. 4 appointments, only Bindmans active the other appointments are to dissolved companies: AR LEGAL CONSULTANCY LIMITED (09437063), KEY RESOLUTION LIMITED (08423129), and SHINGAAR LIMITED (07399362). Amrit Kaur RANA personal appointments identity 2, she is an active secretary of TEST BUSTERS LTD (05401347). Amrit Kaur RANA personal appointments identity 3, a resigned appointment to dissolved SHINGAAR LIMITED (07399362).
Anna-Louise THWAITES personal appointments identity 1 dob January 1979, appointed to Bindmans, and resigned from RIGHTS AND SECURITY INTERNATIONAL (02489161). Anna Louise THWAITES personal appointments identity (2?) dob May 1976, appointed to CLIFFORD CHANCE EUROPE LLP (OC312404) and CLIFFORD CHANCE LLP (OC323571). Her residence is given as Germany. I query whether these 2 identity belong to the same person, if they do this would be a serious conflict of interest, hidden by a false representation.
Out of 15 current officers of Bindmans LLP, 6 directors have registered multiple identities, and if Anna-Louise Thwaites is the same person as Anna Louise Thwaites, that would be 7.
Why these directors would risk their careers by registering multiple identities is unclear. It is incredulous to think they are accidental, as the directors have to confirm their details. The motive will include to conceal these interests from audit and due diligence, which is the material outcome of an individual having multiple identities. Multiple identities breach anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing legislation, so the risk is that these are the activities that they are conducting.
In the next section I will whether these directors interests are disclosed. Bindmans do not provide a Register of Interests, Bindmans LLP. There is a biography for each partner which includes a section on "experience". I accessed the most recent annual accounts at Companies House, Full accounts made up to 31 March 2022. Members interests are not included in the accounts, as would normally occur with partnerships that are open and accountable. I noted that the Audit Report is not signed (page 8), this makes these accounts incomplete and this is a breach of the Companies Act 2006.
John Halford has failed to disclose his past directorships of CAMDEN COMMUNITY LAW CENTRE, LAW CENTRES FEDERATION, THE PUBLIC LAW PROJECT and 94 BETHUNE ROAD LIMITED, in his biography, John Halford | Bindmans LLP. He used a false representation of his date of birth for the latter two appointments. I allege he has committed fraud by false representation and fraud by failing to disclose interests. Only a police investigation and forensic audit covering the period since he established his duplicate identity will determine the purpose and scale of his fraud. However, this is evidence that he has committed identity fraud and he has failed to disclose his past interests.
Tayab Ali | Bindmans LLP fails to disclose his active directorships of LABOUR FRIENDS OF PALESTINE AND THE MIDDLE EAST (15030242), BLACK BOX STRATEGY LTD (13396769) and INTERNATIONAL CENTRE OF JUSTICE FOR PALESTINIANS in his biography, in a publicly accessible Register of Interests and in the Annual Accounts. It needs to be determined if he is associated with corporate identities that use the name "Tayabali". Tayab Ali has at least 2 identities registered, this is evidence of synthetic identity fraud, using two different residential addresses, or different spellings of the same address. This information might be released through a FOI to Companies House. He has failed to disclose active directorships and this is evidence of fraud by failing to disclose information, that is concealed in his "synthetic identity". In IT terms, the creation of a duplicate identity in a deduplicated system, like Companies House, is an unwanted outcome and is called a synthetic identity, as it is a result of a false non-match error. Unless name, date of birth and usual residential address are the same a synthetic, duplicate identity is created.
Tamsin Allen | Bindmans LLP, in her biography, under "professional memberships" discloses that she is an active director of "Hacked Off", when she actually resigned on 10 March 2020. If this is referred to for due diligence, this could allow a permission for a transaction, incorrectly. She fails to disclose her past directorships of WOODLAND SAVERS LTD, the full name HACKED OFF CAMPAIGN LIMITED and she failed to disclose her active appointment to RUCKHAUS LTD. Tamsin Allen fails to disclose her past and active directorships which are held in a synthetic identity. This is evidence of fraud by false representation and fraud by failing to disclose information. Ms Allen discloses "She works closely with barristers from Matrix and 5RB to provide additional expertise in all these areas, bringing and defending claims in the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights.". I would like to explore these associations more thoroughly than time allows for, now.
Alice Hardy | Bindmans LLP discloses: "Centre for Women’s Justice Femicide Working Group and Legal Reference Panel; Inquest Lawyers Group, Steering Committee; and Police Action Lawyers Group.". She does not disclose her past association to SANDBROOK COMMUNITY PLAYGROUP LIMITED and NEW LONDON CHILDREN'S CHOIR LIMITED, the latter is held in a synthetic identity. New London Children's Choir Limited would be missed as an associated interest by anyone auditing Bindmans or Sandbrook Community Playgroup.
Siobhan Kelly | Bindmans LLP discloses that "Siobhan is presently a trustee Headway North West London, her local brain injury charity". The fact that she was a director of a company with this name is not included. Her recent resignation is not included. This active entry could allow a permission incorrectly. Her biography fails to include. No 3 Victoria Walk, Cotham Ltd which is held in a third identity. The 3 identities is evidence of fraud by false representation, by using differently written residential addresses when they were set up. She has failed to disclose information on all her interests.
Amrit Rana | Bindmans LLP has 3 identities registered. She fails to disclose her past directorship of AR LEGAL CONSULTANCY LIMITED (09437063), KEY RESOLUTION LIMITED (08423129), and SHINGAAR LIMITED (07399362). She fails to disclose that she is an active secretary of TEST BUSTERS LTD (05401347).
Anna Thwaites | Bindmans LLP, her biography discloses that "Anna was a trustee of Rights Watch UK (formerly British Irish Rights Watch) from 2013-2018". This is a good example of how past appointments should be presented to fulfil obligations of transparency and accountability. However Anna Thwaites fails to disclose Right and Security International. I query whether she is Anna Louise Thwaites who is a partner of Clifford Chance Europe LLP and Clifford Chance LLP. If she is then it should be disclosed and it is likely to be a conflict of interest with Bindmans.
I have reported this to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.