Another bogus lawyer exposed

Michael Mashiri

A lawyer who is employed by Kajokoto and Company as a legal assistant has been a taken to court after allegedly fraudulently acquiring a legal qualification to work as a lawyer in Zimbabwe.

Elijah Kudzai Mbiriri appeared before magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa at the Harare Magistrates' Courts accused of fraud.

The State, through prosecutor Pardon Dziva, alleges that sometime in 2017, Mbiriri graduated from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya, with a Bachelor of Laws degree.

For him to practise law in Zimbabwe Mbiriri's foreign legal qualification had to be designated and as a result had to attain a certificate of conversions with the Council for Legal Education, CLE.

In 2018, Mbiriri allegedly enrolled with CLE to write eight conversions examinations.

In June 2020, he sat for the Civil Procedure module and passed.

He went on to register for four modules in June 2021 and passed only one.

Mbiriri, after writing only five modules out of the required eight and passing only two, connived with one Huggins Duri - who is still at large - to give instructions through email to Fidelity Printers and Refiners to print a certificate of completion for him.

The certificate was processed and Duri collected the printed certificate at Fidelity Printers and Refiners and gave it to Mbiriri.

By doing so, Mbiriri's actions caused a financial prejudice of US$420 and cost the reputation and good administration of the Council for Legal Education.

Mbiriri was ordered to apply at the High Court for bail and will be back in court on November 14.