SRA restricts Aminata Pungi after fraud conviction linked to unauthorised transfers
A former legal secretary has been barred from working in regulated legal practice without prior approval from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) after being convicted of fraud.
The decision relates to Aminata Pungi, a non-solicitor who was previously employed at Latham & Watkins (London) LLP. The SRA imposed a Section 43 order on 22 January 2026, with the outcome published on 10 February 2026.
Ms Pungi was convicted on 19 March 2025 of fraud by abuse of position, contrary to sections 1 and 4 of the Fraud Act 2006. The offence arose while she was working as a legal secretary at the firm’s London office at 99 Bishopsgate.
According to the SRA’s findings, Ms Pungi made unauthorised transfers from the personal bank accounts of an individual for whom she was working into bank accounts held by her. The regulator determined that the conduct involved dishonesty and constituted an abuse of a position of trust.
As a result, the SRA concluded that it was undesirable for Ms Pungi to be involved in a legal practice without its prior approval. An order was therefore imposed under section 43(2) of the Solicitors Act 1974.
The effect of a Section 43 order is to restrict a non-solicitor’s involvement in regulated legal practice. Under the terms of the order, no solicitor, recognised body or manager or employee of such a body may employ or remunerate Ms Pungi in connection with a solicitor’s practice without the SRA’s prior written permission. She is also prohibited from being a manager of, or holding an interest in, a recognised body unless authorised in advance by the regulator.
The SRA said the order was necessary in light of the seriousness of the conduct. It noted that the offence involved the misappropriation of funds belonging to an individual client and represented a breach of trust in a professional setting.
In addition to the Section 43 order, Ms Pungi was ordered to pay £600 towards the SRA’s investigation costs.
Employee-related decisions of this nature are taken by the SRA, where it considers that a person who is not a solicitor poses a risk to the public or to confidence in the legal profession if permitted to work in regulated practice without restriction.
The order took effect from the date Ms Pungi was notified of the decision and remains in place unless varied or revoked by the SRA.