A law lecturer has resigned from the sun-drenched Mauritius campus of Aberystwyth University after being struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for a "catalogue of proven breaches" during his time in practice.
Rajesh Babajee worked as a sole practitioner at Benn Cameron Solicitors in Tooting and later at Lambeth Solicitors in Brixton. In one case, Babajee charged £28,000 for the sale of a £155,000 house. The tribunal described the fees as "unrealistic" and said there was nothing to suggest "sufficiently complex legal issues" which would justify Babajee's disproportionate bill. The SDT also found that Babajee had misappropriated £45,000 of client money following the sale of another property.
The tribunal struck him from the roll in May 2016 and ordered that he pay £34,800 in costs, ruling that Babajee's numerous breaches amounted to a "masterclass in failure to comply with the basic requirements of practice as a solicitor".
Babajee was not present at the tribunal and made no submissions in mitigation.
He may have been sunning himself on a beach when the ruling was made. Babajee left Lambeth Solicitors in 2012 for Mauritius in 2013, where he worked as a law lecturer. He taught on the island at Middlesex University's campus before moving to Aberystwyth University's campus. A spokeswoman for Aberystwyth Uni confirmed that Babajee resigned in May 2016. Coincidentally, the month that he was struck off.
It marks another bit of bad PR for the Aberystwyth University, whose Mauritius campus launched in autumn 2015. Designed to take 2,000 students, this month former vice-chancellor Professor Derec Llwyd Morgan described the project as "madness" after only 40 students enrolled for its first two terms.
Tip Off ROF
Rajesh Babajee worked as a sole practitioner at Benn Cameron Solicitors in Tooting and later at Lambeth Solicitors in Brixton. In one case, Babajee charged £28,000 for the sale of a £155,000 house. The tribunal described the fees as "unrealistic" and said there was nothing to suggest "sufficiently complex legal issues" which would justify Babajee's disproportionate bill. The SDT also found that Babajee had misappropriated £45,000 of client money following the sale of another property.
The tribunal struck him from the roll in May 2016 and ordered that he pay £34,800 in costs, ruling that Babajee's numerous breaches amounted to a "masterclass in failure to comply with the basic requirements of practice as a solicitor".
Babajee was not present at the tribunal and made no submissions in mitigation.
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Another Dodgy Solicitor slides into the deck |
He may have been sunning himself on a beach when the ruling was made. Babajee left Lambeth Solicitors in 2012 for Mauritius in 2013, where he worked as a law lecturer. He taught on the island at Middlesex University's campus before moving to Aberystwyth University's campus. A spokeswoman for Aberystwyth Uni confirmed that Babajee resigned in May 2016. Coincidentally, the month that he was struck off.
It marks another bit of bad PR for the Aberystwyth University, whose Mauritius campus launched in autumn 2015. Designed to take 2,000 students, this month former vice-chancellor Professor Derec Llwyd Morgan described the project as "madness" after only 40 students enrolled for its first two terms.