8 lawyers face ban over fraud

At least eight Malawian lawyers are facing disbarment from the legal profession over fraud and for embezzling over K128 million of clients funds including deceased estate money, the Attorney General, has said.

The Attorney General, who is also the government’s chief legal advisor says his office is ready to push the matter through the courts so the fraudulent lawyers can be plucked out of the profession and be banned.

Said Silungwe: “The office of the Attorney General is now ready to file summons where we shall pray to the Chief Justice for disbarment of eight errant legal practitioners.”

Silungwe said it will not be far from now that his office will swiftly act on the errant lawyers. The law does not sanction the AG to suspend a legal practitioner but that power is vested in the Disciplinary Committee by virtue of Section 96(1)(b) or the Chief Justice by virtue of Section 89(1)(b) of the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act of 2017 (LELPA). However, Section 89(1) of the LELPA allows the office of the AG to make an application to the High Court for the suspension of a lawyer.

“We are unable to disclose the names of the legal practitioners at this time,” said Silungwe.

The offices of Attorney General (AG) and the Inspector General of Police (IG) were summoned by the Malawi Law Society (MLS) with recommendations to disbar at least eight lawyers.

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