By Maria Ward-Brennan
A City lawyer convicted for “tipping off” one of his clients about a money laundering investigation was sentenced to nine months in prison today.
William Osmond, founder of commercial and property law firm Osmond & Osmond Solicitor, was convicted earlier this month.
He tipped off businessman James Reeding Ramsay after the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) handed him a Section 2 notice requiring him to hand over documents. The SFO was investigating Ramsay’s loan of £4m towards the purchase of a house in Mayfair.
Investigators from the SFO searched Osmond’s office in 2019 and found five pages of hand-written notes on his discussions with Ramsay and computer files that showed his forgery of the legal letter.
He is the first ever solicitor that the SFO has prosecuted with “tipping off” a client.
At the Old Bailey today he was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months and also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £5000 toward the SFO’s costs.
Speaking on today’s sentencing, 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.”
