Gurkha lawyers facing inquiry

THE government has launched an investigation into the activities of lawyers advising Gurkha veterans hoping to settle in the UK, it was disclosed yesterday.

The inquiry comes amid allegations that Gurkhas are being encouraged to pay hundreds of pounds in voluntary donations to veterans' organisations in Nepal which then refer them on to UK solicitors.

Defence minister Kevan Jones said the inquiry came after it emerged legal aid was being claimed for advising veterans, even though it was available free through a MoD-funded office in the Nepalese capital, Katmandu.