Now jailed Dizaei could be forced to repay his £1million legal aid bill

Dizaei, 49, was given taxpayers' money to fight corruption charges after spending more than £1 million paying for his lawyers.

But after his conviction yesterday he could now be forced to hand back the money because of rules which allow payments to wealthy defendants to be reclaimed by the Legal Services Commission.

Dizaei's potential bill emerged as Scotland Yard chiefs prepared a misconduct hearing that is certain to lead to his dismissal for a second time after his sacking in 2010.

That first dismissal followed Dizaei's original conviction for misconduct and perverting the course of justice over an incident in 2008 in which he framed young businessman Waad al-Baghdadi in a street row.

The Court of Appeal quashed that conviction after it emerged that Mr al-Baghdadi had lied about his identity, leading to Dizaei's reinstatement to his £100,000-a-year Met post and around £180,000 in back pay.

That money could now be targeted by the Legal Services Commission, which has powers to seek the repayment of legal aid from defendants who receive a subsequent windfall.

"Anyone with over £30,000 capital assets can also be made to pay an additional contribution that can cover up to the full cost of their defence team," a spokesman said.

"If someone's financial circumstances change during a case, they must inform the Legal Services Commission. This may lead to an adjustment in the amount to be repaid. "

Exactly how much Dizaei has received in legal aid is unclear, but the officer, one of the Met's most senior Asian figures, revealed last year that he had spent more than £1 million on lawyers' fees before claiming taxpayers' help.

Dizaei was yesterday handed a three-year jail sentence for misconduct in a public office and perverting the course of justice, although he is expected to be freed in three months because of the time he has already spent behind bars.

He had attacked Mr al-Baghdadi in Kensington in 2008 after the businessman confronted him about money he was owed for designing a website.

Southwark crown court heard that Dizaei injured himself in order to frame Mr al-Baghdadi. Iranian-born Dizaei was first convicted two years ago of framing Mr al-Baghdadi, but walked out of Leyhill open prison a year later after the Court of Appeal ruled in his favour.

His solicitor Imran Khan said that Dizaei would mount a new appeal, while his wife, Shai Dizaei, today pledged to "stand by" her husband.

"It's unfair. He is an innocent man in jail," she said at the family home in Acton. "Ali is a strong man. He could have resigned like all the other police officers when they're accused. He didn't because he's innocent."

The hearing against Dizaei is expected to take several weeks to prepare and could be delayed until after his release in the summer. He remains suspended on full pay.