A FORMER solicitor jailed for his part in a £426,000 insurance scam now faces being struck off.

Nadir Suleman, who worked for Farleys in Blackburn, is being investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) over fraudulent medical and insurance claims.

He was put behind bars in April last year after being convicted of conspiracy to defraud.

The charges related to false medical claims that were found on his computer and a fraudulent insurance claim he had made after his wife's car had been written off.

Regulators have now launched their own investigation and Suleman will face the organisation's disciplinary board later this year.

An SRA spokesman said: "This is an independent tribunal which will reach its own decision after considering all the evidence, including any evidence put forward by the solicitor.

"The tribunal has certified that there is a case to answer in respect of allegations which are or include that Mr Suleman was tried and convicted upon indictment of two counts of conspiracy to defraud.

"The allegations are subject to a hearing before the solicitors disciplinary tribunal and are as yet unproven."

Suleman was one of six men, including four solicitors, jailed at Liverpool Crown Court for a total of 13 and a half years for conspiracy to defraud.

An investigation by the City of London Police found the men worked together in their professional roles to defraud victims of £426,000.

Their criminality first came to light in September 2012, when Suleman made a claim on behalf of his wife, after her Mini Cooper fell from a ramp when it was being repaired.

The car was written off and Suleman submitted a claim to NIG Insurance using his employer Farleys, flouting the company's procedures.

Suleman further claimed for solicitors’ fees and the hire of a vehicle from Matrix Car Hire, supposedly controlled by a man called Arif Patel.

It was later found that the hire vehicle was being advertised for sale at a car dealership in Kent.

Enquiries found that neither the dealership nor the new buyer knew anything about Patel or Suleman.

NIG queried the claim and referred the case to police in April 2013. On the March 26, 2014, Suleman and Patel were arrested and their properties were searched.

Files on a computer seized from Suleman’s house showed he was involved in numerous fraudulent medical insurance claims.

Patel also had a number of fraudulent invoices which had been altered to show treatments which had never been given to patients.

Their phones were confiscated by officers and WhatsApp conversations found on them, began to show the size of the organised criminal network involved.

Suleman, of Clement Road Preston was jailed for four years. Patel of Highgate Avenue, Preston, was jailed for 32 months.

After the case, in April last year, Farleys Solicitors said: "As a solicitor, Mr Suleman was required to conduct himself with integrity and to the highest professional standards.

"Instead, he conspired with others to embark on a complex fraud, letting down his clients, the good name of Farleys and the solicitors profession.

"We ensured that no client has suffered any financial loss as a result of his conduct."