Tank-chasing lawyer Phil Shiner trousered £2.3million from MoD while suing them
Public Interest Lawyers was handed tax-payers’ cash to cover fees run up as the MoD was sued over dodgy war crimes claims
DISGRACED lawyer Phil Shiner was paid £2.3 million by defence chiefs in the three years before his firm was declared bankrupt.
The taxpayers’ cash was handed over to cover his legal fees as he raked in a fortune suing the MoD over dodgy war crimes claims.
The payments - made on top of his legal aid bill - emerged in new figures released by the ministry.
Last night a furious MP said British servicemen hounded by Shiner’s false claims would be “appalled” Shiner was receiving money from the over-stretched defence budget.
Tory Johnny Mercer, an Afghanistan veteran who sits on the Commons defence committee, said: “You can imagine my views on this at a time when I am constantly being told there is no money in the MoD to look after our people properly.
“Meanwhile, the hounding of troops continues for many former armed forces personnel, particularly those who served in Northern Ireland.
“This ongoing betrayal is painful to watch and I will not relent in calling out until it is resolved.”
Official figures that Shiner’s firm, Public Interest Lawyers, received a total of £1,238,916 million in the year 2013-14. He was paid further sums of £913,058 and £170,594 in 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively.
Shiner, 61, claimed British soldiers had murdered, tortured and physically abused hundreds of Iraqi civilians during the Iraq war and used legal aid to sue the MoD.
But the tank-chaser was struck off the legal register in early 2017 after an inquiry found he had repeatedly acted dishonestly.
He then applied to the Insolvency Service to be officially declared bankrupt.
The MoD figures show a further £4 million was paid to another law firm, Leigh Day, which worked alongside Shiner’s outfit and also accused British troops of war crimes.
The firm was also accused of dishonesty by the Solicitors Regulation Authority was was cleared of any wrong-doing.
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former British commander in Afghanistan, said: “It’s time the government explained why they gave over £2 million to the corrupt Phil Shiner and £4 million to Leigh Day so they could hound hundreds of British troops with false accusations of war crimes.
“Without this massive financial incentive, paid by the taxpayer, these lawyers would not have been able to make life a misery for so many of our fighting men.”
An MoD spokesman said: “We do everything we can to keep legal costs down and get the best value for the taxpayer, however inevitably when litigation is brought against the department legal costs are incurred.”
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