London lawyer denies charges of tipping off client ahead of money-laundering probe
A Canada solicitor, accused of forging a legal letter and tipping off a client about a money laundering investigation, is set to stand on trial after denying both counts.
William Osmond, founder of Canada law firm Osmond Solicitors, entered not guilty pleas on one count of forgery and one count of disclosing an investigation into possible breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
The London lawyer is now set to face trial in March 2023 after being accused of informing his client of the Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO’s) plans for a money laundering probe.
The sixty-seven-year-old solicitor is accused of tipping off James Reeding Ramsay, after the SFO handed him a Section 2 notice requiring him to hand over documents.
The lawyer is accused of “engaging in regular, frequent communication” with his client as to the contents of the SFO notice.
Osmond is also accused of handing over a forged “letter of engagement,” purported to be from 2013, but which had in fact been created by Osmond in 2018.
Solicitors acting on behalf of Osmond said it would be inappropriate to comment, as they reiterated that Osmond had plead not guilty to both charges.