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Tsvangirai law firm banned
02/02/2004 14:45 - (SA)
Harare - The Law Society of Zimbabwe has barred 40 law firms - about one-seventh of the national total - from practising this year until they regularise their status, government media said on Monday.
Among the firms listed as banned is the reputable practice Artherstone and Cook, which is instructing senior advocates representing opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in his treason trial over an alleged plot to assassinate President Robert Mugabe.
The firm also recently represented journalists from the Independent weekly facing defamation charges for alleging that Mugabe had commandeered an aircraft from national carrier Air Zimbabwe for a holiday in Asia.
The state-owned Herald newspaper quoted the president of the Law Society, Joseph James, as saying: "The said firms and or individuals are ... not licensed to practise in 2004 and must close their firms immediately until they regularise their position to the satisfaction of the council."
The umbrella group's office said that the 40 were among an estimated 270 law firms in the country. All lawyers must be registered
All lawyers or law firms in private practice must be registered. The annual registration normally involves submission of an audit certificate on funds held in trust for clients.
Some of the applications were rejected because they were deemed to be irregular and did not meet the stipulated requirements, the Herald said.
Artherstone and Cook partner Linda Cook said that the inclusion of the firm's name "as far as we are aware" was "an honest mistake".
She said like all other licensed firms "we were issued on the 7th of January (2004) with a letter saying we were duly licensed to practice law".
She admitted there had been problems with the firm's accounts.
"It's merely a question of bringing the accounts into order now. Every year we do that. We are not used to be on the list like that."
Tsvangirai is due to return to court on February 11 when his hearing continues. He has denied plotting to "eliminate" Mugabe in the run-up to controversial elections in 2002 which returned the veteran leader to another term.
The opposition and independent observers said the 2002 presidential election was blighted by sweeping fraud, violence and intimidation.
- AFP
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