A solicitor that dealt with property sales to a client base in Russia and Ukraine has been suspended for nine months by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal after failing to put in place anti-money laundering safeguards.

Natalia Levinzon did not have an appropriate anti-money laundering policy in place; she failed to ensure there was a firm-wide risk assessment; she did not apply enhanced due diligence measures; she failed to conduct ongoing monitoring; and she breached SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority) accounts rules.

Levinzon was a partner at Mayfair-based Alexander Dobrovinksky & Partners LLP – which closed last year. She told the regulator in an interview that there was no risk assessment of the firm or of client matters because ‘they knew 99% of their clients who were family or friends’.

A statement of agreed facts said that Levinzon did not adequately investigate the source of funds for the purchase of certain properties, where there were “red flag indicators including in respect of geographic risk and corporate funding expenditure”.

The statement also said:

“The client demographic for the files reviewed by the Forensic Investigation Officer was predominantly Russian and the Ukraine.

“On the matters which Ms Levinzon handled for these clients, funds were used to purchase properties from companies based in Dubai, the British Virgin Islands, St Kitts and Nevis and Cyprus. Those facts… should have led Ms Levinzon to ensure that she conducted adequate ongoing monitoring.”

The firm had been subject of a previous forensic investigation in 2015, when Levinzon was issued with a written rebuke and a fine.

The tribunal ordered that Levinzon be suspended from practice as a solicitor for nine months from 14 July 2020 and that she pay costs of £10,000.

For the next two years Levinzon cannot be a manager or owner of any authorised body; be a partner or member of an authorised body; hold or receive client money; or be a head of legal practice/compliance officer for legal practice or a head of finance and administration/compliance officer for finance.