GAZETTE NOTICE NO. 4341

PURSUANT to section 53 (9) of the Advocates Act and Rule 12 (1) of the Advocates (Complaints Commission) Rules, 1991 it is notified for general information that from the 1st January, 2021 to 31st March, 2021, the Commission received a total of two hundred and fifty-seven (257) new complaints and submitted them for enquiry under the Preliminary Enquiry initiative. The current status of the above new complaints is as shown below: S/No. Status No. of Complaints 1 Rejected 19 2 Undergoing Preliminary Enquiry and therefore carried over to the next quarter The total number of complaints carried over to the period under review (that is 1st January, 2021 to 31st March, 2021) from previous quarters are four thousand and thirty (4030). During the period under review a total of sixty-three (63) complaints were classified and files opened. The nature of new complaints classified is as shown below: S/No Nature of Complaints No. of Complaints 1 Failure to render professional services 18 2 Withholding funds 33 3 Failure to account 4 4 Practising without Professional Licence 5 Failure to honour professional undertaking 6 Issuing dishonoured cheque 1 7 Overcharging 2 TOTAL 63 Complaints filed against advocates/firms of advocates were disposed of in the following manner during the period under review— (a) Preliminary Enquiry (PE) Complaints: Total number of complaints closed under the Preliminary Enquiry (PE) initiative were two hundred and ninety-seven (297). (b) Classified Complaints: Total number of complaints finalised were sixty-nine (69) whose details are as follows: S/No. Action No. of Complaints 1 Abandoned 51 2 Settled 7 3 No misconduct proved 9 4 Withdrawn 2 TOTAL 69 Pursuant to section 53 (4) and in the spirit of section 53 (5) of the Advocates Act, eighteen (18) complaints were settled amicably at the Advocates Complaints Commission. The matters referred to the Disciplinary Committee during the same period for further action and in accordance with section 60 (1) of the Advocates Act were thirty-six (36). During the period under review fourteen (14) complaints pending at the Disciplinary Committee were disposed of as follows: - S/No. Action No. of Complaints 1 Convicted 12 2 Dismissed 1 3 Abated( Advocate (Deceased) 1 TOTAL 14 2014 2014 In summary: S/No. Description No. of Complaints 1 Complaints brought forward to the period 1st January, 2021 to 31st March, 2021 from previous quarters 2 Complaints received between 1st January, 2021 and 31st March, 2021 Total Complaints for the Period Under RevieW 4287 3 Files disposed of during the period under review Total pending complaints as at 31st March, 2021 3907 Dated the 1st April, 2021. CAROLINE SARONI, Chairperson, Advocates Complaints Commission.