Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE High Court, Main Registry, on Monday restored the name Fatma Karume in the role of advocates of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) after granting her appeal against the Advocates Committee.
A panel comprising Judges Issa Maige, Deo Nangela and Edwin Kakolaki ruled in favour of the seasoned lawyer after sustaining one ground of appeal, ruling that the application on professional misconduct against Fatma, which was filed before the Committee was incompetent.
“The appeals, thus, succeed to the extent of the second ground of appeal. As a result, the decision of the (Advocates Committee) is hereby set aside and the proceedings thereof quashed,” the judges declared.
The Advocates Committee had found Ms Karume guilty of going against the professional ethics on a number of issues and ordered her removal from the roll of advocates of the TLS after considering the evidence tendered in favour of the complaint.
In the ground of appeal sustained by the Court, Fatma, through her Advocate Peter Kibatala, had contended that the Committee acted without judicial authority and propriety to entertain the matter when it was made cognizant of the subsisting order of the superior body.
Such a body, according to Advocate Kibatala, is the High Court, which had ordered the Registrar to transmit the alleged professional misconduct of the appellant to the Committee for proper hearing. Records show that the complaint in question was submitted by the Attorney General against the order.
The judges ordered the Registrar of the High Court to transmit the complaint on Fatma’s professional misconduct to the Advocates Committee in the manner directed in the Court’s order which was issued by Principal Judge, Dr Eliezer Feleshi.
Following the panel’s decision, Advocate Fatma Karume will remain temporarily suspended as per the orders of the Principal Judge pending determination of the matter by the Committee, upon receiving fresh complaint.
Dr Feleshi imposed such a ban when he was delivering a ruling in a constitutional petition lodged by ACT-Wazalendo Ideology, Publicity and Public Communications Secretary Ado Shaibu against President, Dr John Magufuli and Attorney General Prof. Adelardus Kilangi.
