A FORMER SNP MP is filing a formal complaint with the Information Commission asking that its criminal investigations unit carry out an inquiry into the Law Society of Scotland.
Newspaper reports in May 2017 stated that the Law Society was investigating Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh and her business partner Niall Mickel for “financial impropriety” during their time as partners in the law firm Hamilton Burns.
On Tuesday, the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal found that both had committed professional misconduct and fined them £3000, but both were cleared of any dishonesty or impropriety.
READ MORE: Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh points to Tory hypocrisy after OBE call
The original stories had details that could only have come from the Law Society, said Ahmed-Sheikh, and were used to discredit her by political opponents in the election campaign that ended with her losing her Ochil and South Perthshire seat in June 2017.
National columnist Ahmed-Sheikh said: “I can confirm that I have today instructed solicitors to file a formal complaint with the Information Commissioner. In view of the timing of the leaked information and the possibility of there having been an offence, I will be asking that the criminal investigations unit carry out the inquiry.”
The National can reveal that a leak investigation was carried out by the Law Society’s internal auditors Wylie & Bisset LLP.
A spokesperson for the Law Society said the auditors “did not identify any evidence to confirm that there had been a detectable breach in the duty of confidentiality within the society’s members or staff”, adding: “The investigation was carried out between May 23 and July 31, 2017.
“If Ms Ahmed-Sheikh has concerns about information being leaked then she is right to raise this with the Information Commissioner. We would of course co-operate fully with the Information Commissioner if we are approached.”
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