Lawyer on-the-run after K10mil ‘swindle’: Malawi Law Society worried with unethical conducts of lawyers

Malawi Law Society  (MLS) officials are asking people to demand to see legal licence before engaging a lawyer especially on matters of money after a lawyer is on the run after swindling his client of his K10 million.

President of the Malawi Law Society Suzi Banda said the rise in unethical behaviour of some lawyers coupled with dishonesty is troubling the law body.

This is after lawyer Chrispine Kam’mayani is on the run having swindled his client of K10 million after a plot sale agreement.

Kam’mayani is said to have sold a plot plot number 47/4/820 on behalf of his client a well known ICT expert  Boston Sibande  but never remitted the K10 million into the client’s account.

Documents in Nyasa Times possession indicate that the learned lawyer Kam’mayani, on 8 January, 2015 signed a document that he is guaranteeing that the seller of plot number 47/4/820, a Mrs Mercy Chitamo and yet the real owner of the plot is Monica Chitawo meaning that the documents had contained similar initials of M.C.

When the paper work was done  Sibande transferred K10 million into the lawyers account so that he can remit into his self made client.

Soon after depositing the money through Inde Bank City Centre Branch, the Sibande family deployed some boys to be taking care of the plot.

Evidence in our possession indicate that on 3 February, 2015, Kam’mayani admitted having stolen the money by sending an SMS to Chimwemwe Sibande that he will refund the misappropriated money.

“This is an unethical conduct. We will investigate this matter. Actually we have taken this matter to the disciplinary committee of the Malawi Law Society,” said Suzi Banda.

However he said the society cannot help when unethical conduct involves lawyers who are not members of the society.

“We are treating this matter with seriousness and urgency,” he said warning clients to always insist on seeing a legal licence before engaging any lawyer for any financial transaction.

He said the licence is renewed every year.

All this comes as Malawian lawyers continue to be shamed with allegations of embezzlement of clients’ funds and overcharging since last year.

In May 2015, Banda admitted there were over 400 cases that were looked into by a special committee.

According to experts, in critical theft cases, that particular lawyer’s licence need to be revoked.-Additional reporting by Alfred Chauwa and Owen Khamula, Nyasa Times

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :