A UK lawyer has been fined and banned after serious Anti-Money Laundering compliance failures. 

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruled on July 25 Rory Peter Heddle Fordyce failed anti-money laundering checks and misused his client account while at Taylor Fordyce Limited.

He was fined £32,500 (about $67,000 AUD) and banned from senior legal roles for five years.

Fordyce failed to carry out mandatory AML checks on a politically exposed person (PEP) before accepting substantial funds. 

SDT ruled he failed to adequately verify the £1.1m he received in 2014 from his client, Anar Mahmudov, son of the Azerbaijani former minister of national security. 

He also failed to verify £1.9m in 2015 from the client’s sister.

Fordyce also misused the firm’s client account as a banking facility, processing about £639,000 in personal payments. 

This was deemed a clear breach of professional standards that undermined trust in the legal profession.

Fordyce was further ordered to pay costs in the sum of £50,000 and has been banned from holding senior positions in law firms for five years.

Why Australia Should Pay Attention

From 1 July 2026, Australia’s Tranche 2 AML/CTF reforms will come into effect, extending compliance obligations beyond financial institutions to include:

• Lawyers
• Accountants
• Real estate agents
• And other designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs)
  
  

These changes will require affected professionals to conduct customer due diligence (CDD), monitor transactions, and report suspicious activities — standards that mirror the UK’s AML regime.

By acting now and getting educated on AML compliance, tranche 2 businesses can avoid the scramble that inevitably comes when new regulations take effect.