Sandhu gained £1.5 million in legal aid fees

DISGRACED Londonderry solicitor Johnny Sandhu gained £1.5 million in legal aid fees whilst awaiting trial on serious terrorist charges, it has emerged.

Demands have been made for the launch of an investigation into whether some of the money can be recouped. Sandhu, convicted of incitement to murder, still qualified for legal aid for his own defence, despite making colossal sums via his Limavady based law firm.

From his arrest in January 2006 up to his conviction last year, the law firm, MS Sandhu & Co, run by Johnny Sandhu pocketed hundreds of thousands from the public purse.

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Sandhu, who lived at Culmore Road in Londonderry, is currently serving a ten year sentence for inciting other to murder taxi driver Jonathan Hillier in 2005 as he recovered in hospital from a failed attempt on his life, perverting the course of justice and the use of his legal standing to pass information onto terrorists.

In the 2005/06 financial year. when the offences took place, MS Sandhu & Co received 308,000 in legal aid fees-in the 07/08 financial years whilst facing the charges, Sandhu's company received a total of 719,000. The firm also received 250,000 in legal aid after Sandhu was jailed.

The shamed solicitor is currently prohibited from praticising and faces a lifetime ban from the legal profession.

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