The sentencing of a former attorney, who was disbarred for not transferring her client’s divorce settlement of £132,000, was postponed today for further details on the timeline of the fraud.
Analiza Kjaer, aged 50, made an appearance in the Central Criminal Court, where she only confirmed her identity and her prior conviction at Croydon Magistrates Court for a single count of fraud by misuse of position.
It was revealed in court today that Kjaer, who was admitted in April 2005 and disbarred in 2022, was hired to handle divorce proceedings in 2020. A settlement of £132,000 was deposited into the firm’s account in three equal payments. However, Kjaer did not transfer the funds to the client, who subsequently reported her to the police, Action Fraud, and the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Kjaer allocated a portion of the money for personal and business expenses, which included withdrawals, loan repayment, and a self-assessment tax bill to HMRC. The court was informed that £64,000 remained in the client account.
The SRA intervened in Kjaer’s practice and Able Law in June 2021. The client was compensated £132,000 plus interest from the Compensation Fund to cover her loss.
A statement detailing the impact on the victim from the client was read aloud in court today by the prosecutor, Dennis Barry. He stated: ‘She lost everything in a single day – her home, her money, and she had no place to live. Her life crumbled at that point.
‘She describes how the incident caused her to lose weight and suffer from insomnia, a problem that persists at times. She was unsure of how she would survive without the money.
‘Due to different market conditions, if she had been able to buy the home she planned in 2021, she would have been able to afford much more than what she could afford in 2022. This incident has made it difficult for her to trust professionals.’
The sentencing was postponed until spring by Her Honour Judge Trowler KC to allow for the production of a timeline and to provide more details regarding Kjaer’s mitigation.