The RICS is set to expel a member, Dion Beard, who featured in last year’s Channel Four documentary From Russia With Cash, from the profession. Beard, better known as Benson Beard, practises as an estate agent and is an associate director at the Chelsea offices of Bective Leslie Marsh.
Luay Al-Khatib, RICS Director of Regulation, said: “All RICS professionals are expected to act with high levels of integrity.,
“On occasions where behaviour has been found to fall short of the standard we expect, we will pursue disciplinary action and safeguard the public interest.
“Following an extensive investigation, this matter was referred to an independent disciplinary panel who had a range of sanctions at their disposal including expulsion from the profession.”
One charge was that after being informed by the potential purchaser “Boris” that he intended to use criminal funds to buy the property, Beard continued to “actively marked the property to him”.
A second, alternative, charge was that he breached his professional obligation to report the matter to his firm’s nominated officer for money laundering and/or to make a report to the police when Beard “should have known that a potential purchaser had disclosed to you that he was engaged in money laundering”.
Beard denied both the charges relating to the programme, and has the right of appeal. He did admit a third charge, of failing to record his CPD activity for 2015 online.
The programme, broadcast in July of last year, was the result of a TV company deciding to conduct an investigation into estate agencies in London, including Bective Leslie Marsh, Winkworth and Chard. Journalists posed as potential purchasers of properties, with agents shown being a mix of RICS and NAEA members.
In July this year, the NAEA said it had concluded its investigation with a spokesperson telling EYE: “We can now confirm that the investigation into the documentary From Russia with Cash is complete.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further in respect of this matter and all details pertaining to the investigation will remain confidential to the National Federation of Property Professionals.”
http://www.rics.org/uk/regulation1/disciplinary-procedure/panel-hearings/disciplinary-panel-hearings.
Comments (10)
He did admit a third charge, of failing to record his CPD activity for 2015 online.
Well… stuff the other minor issues – that’s his @$$ well and truly on a skewer!
Definitely.
No CPD no M / F RICS.
He’s out regardless of anything else.
Refreshing to see a trade/regulatory body actually use its teeth. What a marked difference between the RICS approach to this issue and that of the NAEA!
That said I do feel just a tiny morsel of sympathy for Beard who seems to have acted very foolishly and in consequence is paying a very high price indeed.
However I suspect a message is being clearly sent to the many London agents whose attitude is ‘Money laundering? Pah! Doesn’t apply to us.’
NAEA and ARLA follow through on every complaint they get. Most people seem to want to go to TPO these days as they get financial recompense that way.
Well done RIC’s finally somebody standing up for standards in our industry.
You have just gone up a firm rung in my ladder.
Please continue to help weed out the problem agents in out industry. Maybe look at #PortalJuggling with Robert May & Co.
NAEA – Take note and pull up your boot straps!!!
With NAEA/ARLA, almost all the complaints are to do with lettings and management. It seems that the good old residential estate agent receives very few complaints – ask the Ombudsman what his/her life has been like since lettings came on board!
An R.I.C.S firm here in Devon ‘borrowed’ over £300k from the clients’ account to support the auction side of their business contrary to R.I.C.S rule 8. According to the disciplinary hearing notes on that case (they seem to have been taken down) because the relatives of the firm were well healed enough to repay the cashed ‘loaned’, the firm received a fine smaller than a chap who hadn’t filed his CPD correctly.
Obviously this CPD malarkey is something RICS take more seriously than surveyors ‘borrowing’ from Peter to pay Paul.
That is a hanging offence in NAEA/ARLA. They would have been drummed out!
Other people have been tried and gone to jail for ‘borrowing’ less.
Now, now, Smile Please – Mr Hayward has already announced to the press that NAEA doesn’t condone the ILLEGAL practice of #portaljuggling
Apparently they’ve stopped endorsing murder, r@pe and pillaging also…