4 High Court clerks suspended

legal documents for litigants for a fee and soliciting kickbacks to set down civil matters earlier.
Drafting of legal documents is normally the work of lawyers but those who cannot afford lawyers would approach the clerks for cheaper service.
Master of the High Court Mr Charles Nyatanga confirmed the suspension sa-ying the alleged offences were in breach of the Civil Service Code of Conduct.
“I confirm the suspensions and so far we have sent home four clerks some from the judges’ offices for allegedly soliciting for bribes to set down matters for earlier dates. Some were reportedly doing the work of lawyers by drafting applications for litigants and charging them a fee. The cases were brought to our attention by the litigants after queries were raised from their files. They approached our offices complaining that their papers were not in order despite paying for the service,” he said.
Sources at the court said the first victim of the saga was served with a suspension letter last week while others were suspended this week.
The suspension of the four was the talk of the day at the High Court with others criticising the decision.
Some argued that the suspension was done without hearing the clerks’ side of the story.
Another source said the suspension was based on the report made by single sources that did not have enough evidence to prove the allegations.
“They were simply suspended because some individuals had made reports to the authorities. What if it turns out that they are innocent? Their families are suffering.
“The clerks’ signatures do not appear on the papers and there is also need for the complainants to produce handwritten draft documents as proof that the clerks were the ones who did the work,” the source said.