The trial of a former Burges Salmon partner started yesterday (27 November) at Southwark Crown Court over his alleged role in a £245m fraud at HBOS in Reading.

Roger Hawes, who was formerly a corporate finance partner at the Bristol firm, has been charged with conspiracy to conceal criminal property contrary to Section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

The alleged offences took place between 2003-2008 when he was still a partner at the firm, which he left in 2011 after around 20 years.

His trial comes after six people, including two former HBOS staff, were sentenced in relation to the high profile fraud case earlier this year. These include former HBOS banker Lynden Scourfield and David Mills of turnaround consultancy Quayside Corporate Services (QCS).

A Burges Salmon spokesperson said: "We are aware of the trial of a former partner of the firm Roger Hawes, who left the firm in 2011.

"It is important to stress that at no point has Burges Salmon or anyone else at the firm been the subject of this criminal investigation and prosecution.

"As legal proceedings are now in place, we are not able to provide any further comment."

A spokesperson for the Solicitors Regulation Authority said: "We await the conclusion of the case before deciding on appropriate action."

According to his LinkedIn profile Hawes is now managing director of Ilexia, serving as an independent business consultant providing non-executive and business consulting services

Lloyds Banking Group acquired HBOS in 2009 at the height of the financial crisis.