Akhmed Yakoob boasts over 200k social media followers
A solicitor who shot to fame on TikTok has been charged with money laundering offences, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has said.
Akhmed Yakoob, a criminal defence specialist dubbed the “TikTok lawyer”, is a director at Birmingham firm Maurice Andrews Solicitors. Yakoob now faces three criminal charges and will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 17 June.
The NCA say Yakoob is “accused of money laundering; encouraging money laundering; and contravening a requirement to apply customer due diligence measures when establishing a business relationship.” The offences were allegedly committed between 18 February 2020 and 8 January 2021.
Since news of the charges broke, the lawfluencer — who has over 200,000 followers on TikTok — appears to have addressed the allegations in a social media post.
The short clip, which includes the hashtags “#fakenews” and “#innocent”, shows Yakoob opening with the line: “Today’s newspapers are only going to be used to wrap up tomorrow’s bag of chips.”
@akhmedyakoob TOMORROWS BAG OF CHIPS‼️ #akhmedyakoob #news #fakenews #innocent #alhamdulillah ♬ original sound – Akhmed Yakoob
The TikTok lawyer recently stood as an Independent candidate in the West Midlands mayoral election and the general election in 2024.
Yakoob will attend court alongside accountant Nabeel Afzal, who faces the same charges.
