Lutfur Rahman, former mayor of Tower Hamlets, London, will face a four-day hearing at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal charged with damaging the reputation of the legal profession.

Rahman, a family solicitor, was reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority in April 2015 after he was found guilty of electoral fraud. Election Commissioner Richard Mawrey QC ordered Rahman to vacate his mayoral post immediately after breaches of election rules during the 2014 campaign for his re-election.

Rahman, who stood for the Tower Hamlets First party, was found personally guilty and guilty by his agents of illegal and corrupt practices.

The SRA alleges Rahman thereby failed to uphold the rule of law and the proper administration of justice, failed to act with integrity and failed to behave in a way that maintains the trust the public places in him and in the provision of legal services.

These same charges also apply to his evidence to the Election Court. This evidence attracted adverse criticism in the judgment. Rahman was described in the 200-page judgment as someone who ‘has made a successful career by ignoring or flouting the law and has relied on silencing his critics by accusations of racism and Islamophobia’.

The Met Police and Crown Prosecution Service later confirmed no criminal charges would be brought based on the judgment as there was 'insufficient evidence' the criminal offences had been committed.

Rahman’s case starts on 7 March and is allocated four days at the SDT. All allegations are subject to a hearing and are as yet unproven.

Rahman, who was admitted as a solicitor almost 20 years ago, is not currently practising as a solicitor.