“Akunjee misspoke and made mistakes in circumstances where he had turned up in good faith on a program,” the tribunal noted, adding that the lawyer drew from his general knowledge when responding on the spot.
Misleading Comments and Program Context
Akunjee’s appearance on the program, titled “Mishcon de Reya — Zionist Law Firm,” was part of a series called “Palestine Declassified,” aired on an Iranian network. Akunjee claimed he had not been informed of the program’s title and did not anticipate the nature of its content. However, the tribunal found that the final broadcast contained harmful stereotypes, though none of these remarks were attributed to Akunjee.
While Akunjee did not make any offensive comments himself, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) argued that his misleading statements undermined public trust in the legal profession. The SRA accused Akunjee of failing to act with integrity, though they did not claim his conduct had any harmful intent.
The tribunal deemed Akunjee’s conduct unplanned and spontaneous, which resulted in low culpability. Akunjee had also written to the broadcaster, requesting that his contributions be edited out or the episode be removed altogether, in an attempt to correct the misinformation.
