A former partner in London firm Fisher Phillips faces a Crown Court trial in a matter involving a £1.5m Ponzi fraud which also duped a bestselling novelist.

Adam Kenneth Woricker, a 40-year-old former partner of the firm, was committed for trial on bail after pleading not guilty at Chelmsford Magistrates Court to 22 offences of fraud and six for theft for amounts between £2,000 and £177,026.

Woricker is alleged to have involved bestselling author Hanif Kureishi - known for his novel The Buddha Of Suburbia and screenplay for the hit movie My Beautiful Laundrette - in the fraud, on the promise of a 15% return for investing in property.

In May Kureishi publicly told his story of how he lost £120,000 in life savings due to investing in a property scheme arranged by Woricker. Kureishi said he found out later that Woricker had been sacked by the firm.

Woricker left his firm after the fraud came to light at the end of June 2012.

The charges against him include that of false representation by offering investment opportunities with the intention of making monetary gain.

He is also accused of theft by stealing the balance of a pension fund to the value of £177,026, and the balance of a church charity account to the value of £120,000 belonging to the Eastern area Congregational Federation.

His thefts include company cheques to the value of £12,000 belonging to Fisher Phillips, in addition to expense claims to the value of £16,993.37.

In accordance with his bail conditions, Woricker is not allowed leave the UK and has been told by the court to live at his address.

He will appear at the Crown Court on 16 December for a plea in the matter.