Kamran Malik, a former mayoral candidate and political figure, has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for defrauding an elderly woman out of her life insurance payout and engaging in other fraudulent activities. Malik, 59, was convicted by a jury on six counts of fraud and one count of money laundering. He operated through his firm, KM Legal Ltd, posing as a solicitor to exploit vulnerable individuals.
The fraud came to light after Malik took possession of a £51,000 life insurance payment intended for Cydatty Bogie, the beneficiary of her friend Cynthia Smart's policy. Smart had died in 2017. Malik also illicitly collected over £12,000 in rent from Ms. Bogie's flat. During the course of his fraudulent activities, which spanned from August 2017 to November 2020, Malik also attempted to sell a pensioner's £400,000 home while impersonating an attorney, presenting a document that named him as a trustee for the property where the owner still resided.
Malik, from Plaistow, east London, was arrested in January 2022. Footage released by the Metropolitan Police shows him being apprehended in his living room, where he initially claimed officers had the wrong person. During the trial, prosecutor Martin Hooper described Malik as someone who "held himself out to be a solicitor but wasn't one," preying on the elderly and vulnerable.
Malik had befriended Ms. Bogie, who was involved in local politics, and had run for West Ham's MP in 2015. She had known Malik for nearly a decade and believed he was a legitimate solicitor. After Ms. Smart's death, Ms. Bogie sought Malik's assistance with the life insurance paperwork. Malik then submitted a claim, directing the funds to his company account instead of Ms. Bogie.
Ms. Bogie tragically died by suicide in March 2022, making her estate a relevant factor in the case. Sentencing Malik, Judge Murray Shanks stated that Malik "abused a position of trust with Ms. Bogie" and that his business appeared to be a "sham."
Malik is the founder of the Communities United Party and continued to advertise "free legal advice" online during his trial. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Newham in 2024, finishing fifth, and again in 2026, coming last. His campaigns often featured promises of ending "financial wastage" and offering advice from "highly trained personnel." On social media platforms like TikTok, he advertised services related to "British husband dead house recovered" and "benefit issues fraud prevention."
This is not Malik's first encounter with legal troubles. In June 2018, he was jailed for one year for scamming migrants out of approximately £16,000 for bogus immigration advice between 2014 and 2016. His victims included a political refugee and an asylum seeker. He had previously been jailed for 24 weeks in 2014 for providing unqualified immigration advice.
Malik previously gained public attention in 2016 when he attempted to sue Donald Trump for £10 million. The lawsuit stemmed from Trump's comments about radicalization in London during his first presidential campaign. Malik's legal action, filed on behalf of his Communities United Party, alleged defamation of Muslims in the Forest Gate area. The High Court dismissed the claim in October of that year.
