Lawyer Lusungu Gondwe and Ritz Attorneys should not represent convicted businessperson Thom Mpinganjira in the case the businessperson is seeking bail pending appeal of his conviction, the High Court has ruled.
High Court Judge John Chirwa has made the ruling this afternoon.
Mpinganjira will now be represented by Alexious Nampota and Fostino Maele in the case.
Today, the court was expected to start hearing Mpinganjira’s application for bail pending appeal against his conviction and nine-year sentence over attempts to bribe five elections case judges. 
However, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) lawyer, Chikumbutso Harawa, argued that there was an order made by Justice Nyakaunda Kamanga banning lawyer Lusungu Gondwe and Ritz Attorneys at from representing Mpinganjira.
The ban came after Gondwe and the law firm secured a midnight order from a magistrate in Zomba quashing the arrest warrant which ACB had used to arrest Mpinganjira in January last year.
However, defence lawyer, Lozindaba Mbvundula, counter-argued that the ruling was pending investigation by the Malawi Law Society (MLS) and MLS did not take further action against the law firm because the court already admonished lawyer Gondwe and Ritz Attorney at Law.
Following Chirwa’s ruling, Ritz has said it will make a decision whether to appeal or not.
