An international story of fraud with a Maltese connection: one of those involved was living in Malta.

A senior partner has received a prison sentence for tipping off his client about a money laundering investigation and forging an engagement letter.

William Osmond, co-founder of London firm Osmond & Osmond Solicitors, appeared before the Old Bailey where he was convicted by a jury and sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

In 2018, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) launched a covert investigation into one of Osmond’s clients, James Ramsay, over a £4 million purchase of a house in Mayfair. The SFO contacted Osmond, who was his firm’s money laundering reporting office, regarding the source of money for the property purchase. 

The SFO warned Osmond not to tell Ramsay about the investigation. However, Osmond flew out to Ramsay’s home in Malta to discuss the matter, and the pair also met in a private dining club in London.

Osmond forged a “Letter of Engagement” as well, which he provided to the SFO, setting out his role as a solicitor for a BVI company, which was used to move funds for the Mayfair property purchase. 

The SFO searched Osmond’s office in April 2019, where officers discovered five pages of hand-written notes about the lawyer’s discussions with Ramsay, as well as computer files that showed his forgery of the engagement letter. 

Following a five-day trial at the Old Bailey, Judge Trowler KC said that the Serious Fraud Office’s investigation “was prejudiced” and “its integrity was undermined” once Ramsay had knowledge of the probe, the Law Gazette reported. 

The judge also said that Osmond would have know, as a lawyer, that issuing a false legal document in this matter amounted to “a criminal offence and wholly out of keeping with the standard of behaviour to be expected from a solicitor.”

The court sentenced Osmond to a nine months prison sentence, suspended, which comprised of six months for the tipping off conviction and three months for the forgery. The court also ordered that Osmond complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £5,000 toward the SFO’s costs.

The SFO said it was the first time that it has ever prosecuted a solicitor for “tipping off” another person about an investigation, after receiving one of their notices.

Matthew Wagstaff, joint head of fraud, bribery and corruption at the SFO, said:
“This solicitor abused his trusted, professional status to knowingly break the law. No one is above the law, and we will pursue anyone who attempts to obstruct our investigations.”

An SRA spokesperson said: “We have long been aware of this issue. The SFO asked us to suspend our investigation in January 2021 pending the conclusion of this case. Now that has happened, we will collate all relevant information before deciding on next steps.”