Pretoria - The head of the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit, Advocate Lawrence Mrwebi, and the Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nomgcobo Jiba, were struck from the roll of advocates on Thursday.
This followed an application by the General Council of the Bar of South Africa (GCB).
The GCB mostly based its application on remarks made by judges regarding the conduct of the advocates during three high profile and political cases. These include the litigation between the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Freedom Under Law (FUL) regarding the decision to drop corruption charges against suspended crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli and the so-called Zuma spy tapes matter.
Judge Francis Legodi found the pair not to be fit to practice as advocates.
In his concluding words on Mrwebi and Jiba, Judge Legodi said (referring to the Mdluli matter): “I cannot believe that two officers of the court (advocates) who hold such high positions in the prosecuting authority will stoop so low for the protection and defence of one individual who had been implicated in serious offences.
“In fact, taking into account the kind of personality (referring to Mdluli) Mrwebi and Jiba had to deal with, they should have stood firm and vigorous on the ground by persisting to prosecute Mdluli on fraud and corruption charges.”
“By their conduct, they did not only bring the prosecuting authority and the legal profession into disrepute, but have also brought the good office of the President of the Republic of South Africa into disrepute by failing to prosecute Mdluli who inappropriately suggested that he was capable of assisting the President to win the party presidential election in Manguang during 2011, should th charges be dropped against him,” the judge said.
Judge Legodi’s scathing judgement against the pair consisted of 109 pages.
Pretoria News