The Solicitors Regulator has launched an investigation into Akhmed Yakoob over claims of “false racism”.

Up-and-coming politician Akhmed Yakoob is facing an investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority after he used social media to promote a false claim of racism against a young teacher. Mr Yakoob, director of Maurice Andrews Solicitors, has been the subject of several complaints to the professional body that oversees solicitors, we can reveal.

An investigation is ongoing. The probe was triggered by a video promoted by Mr Yakoob to his followers on TikTok, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter and other platforms. It claimed it shows a 27-year-old teacher making a racist slur at a resident while canvassing on election day for Dudley Council last week.

READ MORE: Teacher’s life ‘ruined’ by hate attack as fake racism claim goes viral

Mr Yakoob later posted the name of the teacher in the video and the school he worked at to his followers. A resulting backlash saw the woman and her school inundated with hundreds of messages, many of them abusive, including death threats and demands to be fired.

Mr Yakoob prevailed after securing more than 69,000 votes when he stood for West Midlands mayoralty on a pro-Palestine platform backed by controversial Labor leader Rochdale MP George Galloway. He has announced that he still intends to challenge Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood.

READ MORE: Head teacher ‘horror’ as school ‘bombarded with abuse’ over fake racist video

BirminghamLive revealed earlier this week that there was no racist slur and viewers were being manipulated by misleading captions overlaying the video, broadcast by Mr Yakoob and several supporters. The innocent teacher was left devastated by the hate attack he received.

West Midlands Police later confirmed there was “no evidence of a racist slur or racist language” in the content. In a statement, the Solicitors Regulation Authority said: “We are investigating before deciding on next steps.”

Solicitors under the supervision of the SRA must adhere to strict professional standards at all times, on and off duty. In the guidance of lawyers, this includes:

• Act in a way that supports public trust and confidence in the profession
• Act with integrity
• Act in a way that encourages equality, diversity and inclusion

We understand that the investigation will focus on Mr Yakoob’s use of his social media profile to promote a video which he later decided included false claims, including his personal role in releasing details of a person and organization later on to abuse and threats.

The SRA has the power to fine solicitors up to £25,000 and, if it considers the resulting misconduct warrants a more severe sanction, cases can be referred to the independent Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT), which has unlimited fine powers and the final sanction of strike. a practicing lawyer.

We approached Maurice Andrews Solicitors, which has Mr Yakoob as a director, for comment after several attempts to engage directly failed. In response, Mr. Yakoob issued the following statement: “I understand that this matter is under investigation, so pending the outcome of the investigation I will not make any comment. Suffice it to say, the video has been pulled from all my platforms, given his denials.”

He refused to acknowledge or answer multiple questions and pleas directly from those affected to apologize for the social media firestorm.