Law Society, SG in blame-game on errant lawyers
Malawi Law Society (MLS) and the Solicitor General (SG) have engaged in a blame-game on who is responsible for publishing the list of lawyers alleged to have been duping clients.
On Thursday, MLS secretary Khumbo Soko referred the issue to the SG’s office, saying it is the right institution to comment.
“The SG is the head of the [MLS] disciplinary committee. She is, therefore, the right person to comment on the publication of the names,” said Soko.
However, SG Janet Banda, through Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs spokesperson Apoche Itimu, pushed the matter back to MLS.
The Nation inquiry followed a pledge by the SG in a story published in our sister newspaper Weekend Nation on July 4 to publish names of the concerned lawyers within a week.
However, yesterday Soko maintained that MLS is not mandated to publish names of errant lawyers.
not allow us
He said: “The rules do not authorise us to disclose the names to the public. So, we [MLS] still maintain that the SG is the right person to publish those names because we will not have legal basis if we do it.”
In recent years, there have been increasing reports of misconduct among lawyers, with some of them duping clients. In some cases, lawyers have been accused of conniving with unscrupulous policy holders to defraud insurance companies, especially in relation to short-term insurance.
Nico General Insurance Company Limited chief executive officer Eric Chapola is on record as having alleged existence of a fraudulent cartel that included lawyers that targeted motor vehicle insurance.
In May this year, MLS announced that it is investigating 400 cases mostly involving lawyers alleged to have embezzled clients’ funds and overcharging.
