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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

6 lawyers disbarred for overcharging, pocketing clients' money

A RECORD number of lawyers were disbarred last year for misconduct ranging from overcharging to pocketing clients’ money left in their care.
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Last year, six advocates and solicitors were stripped of their right to practise law here, according to the Supreme Court Annual Report 2010, published this week.

The year before, no lawyers were struck off the rolls of legal practitioners here. Three lawyers were struck off in 2008 and two in 2007.

The six lawyers who were disbarred last year were found guilty by the Court of Three Judges.

One of them was runaway lawyer Zulkifli Mohd Amin. He siphoned off more than $10.6 million from his firm’s bank accounts over a period of 11 months in 2007, and then went on the run.

Another partner of the firm Sadique Marican & ZM Amin, Mr Mohd Sadique Ibrahim Marican, was also disbarred for failing to supervise the accounts.

This was the second-highest amount of clients’ money that a lawyer here had ever absconded with. The largest was the $12 million taken by David Rasif, who was disbarred in 2007.

Lawyers are admitted to the Bar for life and can be struck off only by the Court of Three Judges, Singapore’s highest legal body governing the discipline of lawyers, in cases of misconduct. Disbarred lawyers can apply to rejoin the profession.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

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