Lawyer who made £1m from crime ordered to repay £1

Alistair Blackwood, 70, was found to have made £1,086,581 from his criminal activities. However, a proceeds of crime hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh heard that he has no available assets to confiscate.

Prosecutors and defence lawyers agreed on the position, leading Judge John Morris KC to issue the £1 order. The small sum serves as a legal placeholder, allowing the Crown to pursue Mr Blackwood for more money if he acquires assets in the future. He has been given three months to pay.

Mr Blackwood was part of a five-man gang, including fellow solicitors Iain Robertson, 72, and David Lyons, 74, who orchestrated a £1.5m laundering operation through the Paisley law firm Robertson & Ross, STV reports.

Following a nine-week trial, the men were convicted and imprisoned for fraud and multiple offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Mr Robertson, Mr Lyons, and accomplice Mohammed Aziz were also found guilty of involvement in serious organised crime.

The scheme involved funnelling illicit funds through the firm’s client bank account, using false records and fake identification to legitimise the transactions. The criminal enterprise included the theft of £985,000 from the hacked bank account of a football club owner and money acquired through fraudulent property sales.

The operation was brought to light after an investigation by the Law Society of Scotland alerted police. Legal proceedings to recover criminal profits from Mr Blackwood’s co-accused are set to continue.