Phil Shiner was given £2.3 million by defenc chiefs to cover legal fees over a three-year period
It has emerged that the legal firm run by disgraced lawyer Phil Shiner was given £2.3 million of taxpayer cash by defence chiefs over three years.
The money was used to cover Shiner’s legal fees in the years before his firm was declared bankrupt.
Shiner, 61, was given the taxpayers’ cash on top of the legal aid he received to sue the MoD over war crimes claims.
The tankchaser claimed that British soldiers had murdered, tortured and physically abused hundreds of Iraqi people during the Iraq war.
His claims unsurprisingly infuriated many and the latest news he was receiving money from the overstretched MoD budget has led to more anger.
Johnny Mercer, a Tory MP and Afghanistan veteran who sits on the Commons defence committee, told the Sun: ‘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.’
Shiner had chased claims that British soldiers had murdered, tortured and physically abused hundreds of Iraqi people during the Iraq war (FILE photo)
Newly released official figures revealed that Shiner’s firm, Public Interest Lawyers, received a total of £1,238,916 million in the year 2013-14.
He was then paid further sums of £913,058 and £170,594 in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Shiner, 61, was given the taxpayers’ cash on top of the legal aid he received to sue the MoD
The tankchaser was disgraced and struck off the legal register in early 2017 after an inquiry found he had repeatedly acted dishonestly.
He then applied to be officially declared bankrupt.
The MoD figures also show that a further £4 million was paid to another law firm, Leigh Day, an ally of Shiner.
The firm was also accused of dishonesty by the Solicitors Regulation Authority was was cleared.
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former British commander in Afghanistan, has asked the government to explain why they had given the law firms the £2 million.
He said that the lawyers were able to fight the cases and hound soldiers because of the legal aid.
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.’