AFTER practicing law for 34 years, a senior Harare lawyer,
Mr Moses Shingiriro Chinyenze, was last week removed from the legal
practitioners’ register for abuse of trust funds.
Mr Chinyenze was convicted by the Legal Practitioners’
Disciplinary Tribunal chaired by High Court judge, Justice Felistus Chatukuta.
His law firm, MS Chinyenze & Associates, was placed
under curatorship for the administration of its trust and business accounts.
“It is accordingly ordered that: The respondent’s name be
and is hereby deleted from the Register of Legal Practitioners, Notaries Public
and Conveyancers,” ruled Justice Chatukuta.
“The respondent’s law firm be and is hereby placed under
curatorship for the administration of its trust accounts and/or business
accounts.
“The respondent be and is hereby ordered to pay all the
expenses incurred by the applicant (Law Society of Zimbabwe) in connection with
these proceedings.”
The Tribunal held that Mr Chinyenze was no longer fit and
proper to practise as a lawyer in Zimbabwe.
“It is our view that the applicant has succeeded to prove
beyond reasonable doubt that the respondent abused client’s monies and acted in
an unprofessional manner as alleged by the applicant,” said Justice Chatukuta.
“This renders the respondent not fit and proper person to
remain on the register of legal Practitioners, Notaries Public and
Conveyancers.”
During mitigation, the tribunal heard that Mr Chinyenze had
an unblemished legal career spanning from 1985.
In 1986, Mr Chinyenze formed the country’s third indigenous
law firm called Gambe & Chinyenze where he groomed a number of lawyers
including others who later became judges.
He imparted legal knowledge to law students as a tutorial
assistant at the University of Zimbabwe and as a lecturer at the Judicial
College in Domboshawa.
Mr Chinyenze was a member of International Bar Association
as well as secretary general of the Zimbabwe Association of Democratic Jurists
in 1986. Herald
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