By Chisomo Phiri
The Malawi Law Society(MLS )’s disciplinary committee has suspended lawyer Gift Nankhuni for six months after finding him guilty of fraudulent conduct and misconduct that brings the legal profession into disrepute.
The decision comes after a complaint was filed by Senior Group Village Headman Kwindanguwo and Pondani Levison Nkhoma on behalf of the inhabitants of Kuliyani Village.
The complaint alleged that Nankhuni mishandled compensation paid by the Malawi Government for land confiscated in 2004.
Specifically, the Disciplinary Committee found that Nankhuni failed to protect the interests of the complainants by paying the compensation to the late Saliyeti Kanyamula without notifying the other beneficiaries.
Furthermore, Nankhuni was found guilty of not disclosing that he had received instructions to represent the complainants.
As a result of these findings, the Committee has ordered Nankhuni to pay K477,895,833.33 to the complainants, which is the compensation amount minus his legal fees, VAT, MLS levy, and Kanyamula’s share.
Additionally, Nankhuni has been ordered to pay K500,000 to MLS as costs for the disciplinary proceedings.
