Law Society of Zimbabwe de-registers three lawyers

THREE Harare lawyers have been struck off the roll of legal practitioners for failure to disclose their past criminal convictions involving corruption and fraud, the Law Society of Zimbabwe has said.

Rosewitter Mademo, Auxillia Madembo and Andrew Hamandishe are the latest to be de-registered.

The three were deleted from the register of the Legal Practitioners, Conveyancers and Notaries Public following proceedings in the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal on December 1 this year.

Madembo and Mangwaira were both found to have failed to disclose a criminal conviction involving dishonest or corrupt dealing when applying for registration as a legal practitioner.

Hamandishe had been convicted of misappropriating trust funds and fraud.

Once a lawyer has been de-registered, they cannot legally practice or offer legal services.

The Law Society does not have any powers to regulate a de-registered person, thus it will not be liable for any prejudice arising from the engagement of a de-registered lawyer or any lawyers whose firm has been placed under curatorship.

Any clients of the law firms placed under curatorship should contact the curators in connection with their matters.

In December 2019, nine lawyers including prominent Masvingo lawyer Tongai Matutu were banned from practicing for offences including misappropriation of trust funds.

Mr Matutu was slapped with a three-year suspension from practicing after he was found guilty of failure to carry out a mandate.

The others were Mr Amon Tendai Toto, Mr Augustine Chizikani, Mr Benjamin Machengete, Mr Simbarashe Tawona, Mr Obedience Machuvaire, Mr Shingiriro Moses Chinyenze, Mr Leslie Sibanda and Mr Joseph Maweni.

Mr Chinyenze and Mr Sibanda were found guilty of abuse of trust funds, while Mr Maweni was de-registered for abusing trust funds and irregularly transferring a property.