A former partner at the London law firm Mishcon de Reya joined a plot to gain £18 million fraudulently from a Swiss bank, a court was told yesterday
A former partner at the London law firm Mishcon de Reya joined a plot to gain £18 million fraudulently from a Swiss bank, a court was told yesterday.
Kevin Steele, 51, a solicitor, helped Michael Shepherd, 50, and his friend Mark Pattinson, 37, to trick EFG Private Bank into paying out the loan, it was claimed. Southwark Crown Court was told they pretended that Mr Shepherd was a wealthy businessman. In reality he was a “fraudster on a rather grand scale”.
Mr Steele, who worked for the legal firm that represented Diana, Princess of Wales in her divorce, signed documents backing up Mr Shepherd’s story, the court was told.
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The fraud was committed using fake letters made by Mr Pattinson which stated that Mr Shepherd was the sole beneficiary of £76.4million held in two accounts at the Guernsey branch of another Swiss financial group Bank Julius Baer.
They then applied for a loan from EFG worth €22million (almost £18million) claiming that £76million was available as a security. But it was “all lies”, said David Aaronberg QC, prosecuting.
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