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Professional Conduct Committee Decisions

ARCHITECTS REGISTRATION BOARD

PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT COMMITTEE

IN THE MATTER OF

SORAYA MOTEVALLI (056549K)

on

27 May2009

Cliffords Inn Conference Centre
Fetter Lane
London EC4A 1LD

Present:

Chairman: Peter Verdin
PCC Member: Linda Read
PCC Member: Donal Hutchinson

Ms Nicola Hill appeared as Clerk to the Committee

Mr John Williams of Bankside Law appeared on behalf of the Board

Ms Motevalli did not attend the hearing and was not represented

CHARGE

The charge is that the architect is guilty of unacceptable professional conduct in respect of the following allegations:

  1. that she failed to maintain adequate and appropriate professional indemnity insurance from 25 April 2008 to 13 February 2009
  2. that she failed to provide evidence of professional indemnity insurance to demonstrate compliance with Standard 8(3) of the Code
  3. that she failed to provide a substantive reply or to procure a substantive reply to correspondence from the Board in letters dated 28 April 2004, 2 August 2004, 25 April 2006, 26 May 2006, 18 April 2007, 7 June 2007, 25 April 2008, 24 June 2008, 15 September 2008 (email), 12 November 2008 promptly and within the timescale set out in Standard 12(4) of the Code

DECISION

CHAIRMAN:  Soraya Motevalli has been charged with unacceptable professional conduct.  The allegations of fact are supported on her in the alternative, that she failed to maintain adequate or appropriate Professional Indemnity Insurance from the 25 April 2008 to the 13 February 2009, or in the alternative that she failed to provide any evidence of that insurance, and she has been requested to do so in letters from the Board on numerous occasions from 2004 in fact, thus able to relate to this charge in 1, and up to the 15 September 2008.  Of those two, we note that there have been conversations, and at least one conversation between Ms Motevalli and people at the office of the Board, where she could have an opportunity to say that she has insurance.  She refused to confirm that she had the insurance, and indeed it would appear that she was quite defiant in her intentions, and not revealing whether she had it.

And in the circumstances, we feel bound to draw the inference that she did fail to maintain adequate and appropriate Professional Insurance during the period of 20 April 2008 to 13 February 2009, and we find those facts proved.  And we also find the facts proved that are set out in paragraph 2.3 of the complainant solicitor’s statement of the case, that she failed to provide a substantive reply, or procure such a reply to correspondence from the Board, which again stretched from the 28 April 2004 to the email on the 15 September 2008. 

She has clearly treated her regulatory body with a degree of contempt, and that together with her failure to maintain Professional Indemnity Insurance satisfy us that she has been guilty of unacceptable professional conduct, and in the circumstances her name will be erased from the register.  Ms Motevalli had received a letter from the Board, which clearly stated that in her absence the Committee could impose sanctions, which included erasure from the Register.  That is to go in the record.  Thank you.

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