PracticeShiraz Aziz has a predominant Criminal law practice, involving Fraud & Confiscation, Bribery & Corruption Law balanced with Human Rights Law, Fraud and Confiscation, Court Martial's, Environmental and Energy Law, which has developed over the last 13 years and continues to do so as he works throughout the United Kingdom and Internationally. Many of the cases that Shiraz is involved in are serious, complex and lengthy. In fact he has been very recently described as " one of the most sought after criminal practitioners" in various Commonwealth Caribbean jurisdictions. Shiraz has led in many successful high profile cases internationally and continues to do so. Shiraz has been involved in many successful high profile parole board hearings. Shiraz has been engaged in work in Northern Ireland and this has included serious and complex cases, where the offences included Terrorism and Murder. Shiraz believes that everyone is entitled to proper and fair trials. He believes in access to justice and is therefore willing to assist persons and entities on a pro bono basis( without means) and also to assist those who simply do not have the confidence to go through the justice system on their own. BackgroundShiraz has been admitted to the Bar in several countries including Trinidad and Tobago, British Guyana in South America and the OECS countries which has been a relatively recent addition to his portfolio, that being from 2005. He has had the experience of working in different environments, different cultres and different practices having spent 2 years in Trinidad and Tobago and a significant amount of time doing "pro bono" work in other territories. Shiraz has spent time at the Hague and also spent between 2006 and 2007 living and working in Northern Ireland on an array of cases which varied from Terrorism related to Murder, Fraud, Money Laundering and general crime. He has also been involved in work on behalf od several Commissions such as the Equality Commission and Electoral and Boundaries Commissions. Shiraz has worked on many Caribbean Death Row cases from Court of Appeal stage up to and including the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and done such with lawyers from the Commonwealth Caribbean and Queens Counsel's "Silks" from the United Kingdom and Caribbean. Shiraz also worked as a Solicitor Advocate with two firms prior to going back to the bar. Shiraz then attained an LL.M in Environmental Law and then became involved in cases that were quasi-environmental and criminal, and included matters such as dumping of Hazardous Waste, and Animal Rights. Since this time and in addition to the high profile work that he has been doing Shiraz has been instructed by many organizations/institutions/law firms both locally and internationally to provide written opinions/advices on Environmental Policy and Objectives, to provide advice in relation to court proceedings and the best way forward. Shiraz was at one time involved in one of the cases involving the protection of sea creatures, fish and mammals in the North Sea. In June 2010, Shiraz was instructed to provide advice to American Law Firms as far as cmpany incorporations were concerned in the Oil and Gas/Energy sector was concerned. The advice was also to cover the principles of Conflict of Interest (COI) and also Anticipated Conflict. Shiraz has also been involved in the education aspect of Legal training. He has been a trainer for a project called "Project Advocate" which was funded by the EU, and managed by the England and Wales Law Society and A4ID (Advocates for International Development). He ahs provided advocacy training and lecturing on local legislaion, policy, practice and procedures. On a daily basis Shiraz can be seen around the Crown Courts throughout London, and further afield where he is involved in many cases being prosecuted by the Serious and Organised Crime Unit and the Complex Cases Unit. This includes large scale frauds, money laundering and confiscation proceedings. In September 2009, Shiraz represented one person, the first to be charged with a major fraud against the Charity Commission and also charities run by the BBC, such as Children in Need. As far as fraud cases are concerned Shiraz alo represented persons charged with one of the largest Frauds, which concerned Internet providers of which the losses ran into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Notable CasesR v Sukhninder Singh (Norwich Crown Court)
Shiraz represented a Norfolk gangmaster who profited by failing to declare his income or file tax returns for his agricultural business. He is alleged to have defrauded HMRC of income tax and VAT valued at £2m. It was also alleged that he profited by using cheap labour, exploiting illegal immigrants and students in UK.
Click here for press coverage in the Norwich Evening News. In the summer of 2010, Shiraz was one of several barristers from Garden Court Chambers that represented persons charged with protesting against an Arms Manufacturing Company. This trial was reported internationally and received great interest and continues to do so. There are reports in the newspapers frequently about the case and the acquittal of all the defendants. Shiraz's lay client was acquitted formally after a strong and well received no case submission. In September 2010, Shiraz was the leading part of a team of lawyers in St Vincent and the Grenadines successfully defending an application by the Government to have an injunction discharged which would have meant that the Electoral and Boundaries Commission Report recommending the split of several constituencies would have been ordered. Shiraz and others argued that the report was misleading as the information used was not accurate and neither was it proper within the spirit of the Constitution of St Vincent and the Grenadines. Arguments also surrounded the validity of the appointment of the Electoral Boundaries Commission and their subsequent working. Shiraz has since been asked to continue representing other members in this case. In August 2010, Shiraz represented one member of a family in extremely large and complicated confiscation proceedings. This was a case in which several Queens Counsels were involved as well as leading barristers. Shiraz was able to "mediate" matters with the prosecution counsel from the Serious and Complex Case Unit to arrive at figures, which were mutually acceptable as far as benefit and realisable assets were concerned. Quite recently Shiraz has been instructed to represent persons charged with large scale people trafficking and exploitation. These are all complex and serious cases. In October 2010, Shiraz was instructed by one of the European Legal 500 firms, Musat & Co to assist with the repatriation of one of their clients back to the UK. Shiraz has been involved in this case for sometime, and whilst the matter was at the Court of Appeal Stage in Romania where the team were successful in having the sentence of their client reduced. The original sentence passed was the largest sentence ever to be passed by the Court of first instance for the offence of faulty manslaughter which is the UK equivalent of causing death by careless driving in which three people were killed. R v Carl Lander - Death by Careless Driving - Acquitted R Julius Gayle - Large Importation of Class B drugs Arms Protest Trial at Hove Trial Centre The Election Boundaries Commission Injunction (St Vincent) widely reported via the Internet. R v Martin Keith Baber - considerations for dangerous driving and a successful no case submission.
Michael Richardson V The State - Appeal against conviction for murder. Patrick Lovelace v The State - Appeal against Conviction for Murder. This case was the highest profile murder at one time on the island of St Vincent (St Vincent and the Grenadines). The appeal was successful on many grounds, a re-trial was subsequently ordered, and this was the first case whereby the Court of Appeal granted access to the actual tapes of proceedings as Shiraz and the legal team argued that a proper appeal could not take place without a proper record, and therefore the tapes were required. During the hearings, Shiraz was praised along with his junior for taking every proper and relevant course of action to achieve his goal which was justice for his client. He was furthermore described as a barrister that works tirelessly to ensure that his professional and lay clients are at ease and understand every aspect of their individual case.
Read the latest press report in The Vincentian. R v Nicol-Sey, which concerns suffering from severe learning difficulties and having a fair trial, and furthermore bail versus custody issues in these specific circumstances. R v Andres Bermeo - Concerns Sentencing under the Criminal Justice Act 2003, and further guidance was given on the role of Court Advocates. Ramdhanie v The State - Appeal Against Conviction R v Iroegbhu - CCRC Referral R v Kempster - Identification R v Steven Lambert - Reverse Burden of Proof
Professional Memberships- Criminal Bar Association
- Environmental Law Foundation
- Amnesty International
- The Law Association - Trinidad and Tobago
- The OECS Bar Association
- The Victim Advocate Scheme
- A4ID - Advocates for International Development
Profile updated June 2011
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