Former MP candidate denies money laundering charge

Akhmed Yakoob denied all three charges against him in court on Tuesday

A lawyer and former political candidate for Birmingham has denied helping a group to launder millions in cash.

Akhmed Yakoob, who stood as an Independent candidate for the West Midlands mayoral election and the general election in 2024, is accused of assisting people who "wanted help to launder cash of millions of pounds", a court heard.

Mr Yakoob and accountant Nabeel Afzal were charged earlier this year with money laundering, encouraging money laundering, and contravening a requirement to apply customer due diligence measures when establishing a business relationship.

The two men entered not guilty pleas to all three offences at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

They were granted unconditional bail and are due to appear at Southwark Crown Court on 15 July.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between 18 February 2020 and 8 January 2021.

Mr Yakoob, of Aldridge in Walsall, and Mr Afzal, from Birmingham, were charged after a National Crime Agency investigation.

If convicted, the men could be jailed to up to 14 years, the court heard.

Mr Yakoob, 37, dubbed the "TikTok lawyer", stood in Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood's Birmingham Ladywood constituency in the 2024 general election. He came second, with 12,137 votes compared to her 15,558.

Earlier in the year, he came third in the West Midlands mayoral election with 69,621 votes.

As a solicitor, he represented two brothers who were involved in an incident involving Greater Manchester Police officers at Manchester Airport in July 2024.