The Women Lawyers Association (WLA) has defended getting K255 billion in legal fees, which is more than double the compensation that the 18 rape victims received.
The women lawyers have issued a statement today following revelations that they received K255 million for representing 18 rape victims who were compensated K121 million.
People on social media described the legal fees as obscene and wondered how the lawyers received more than double the amount which the victims received.
In a statement today, the women lawyers have argued that both amounts were reached at following normal legal process.
According to WLA, after the court ordered that the Msundwe rape victims should be compensated by the Malawi Government, the organization submitted that the women should be compensated K2.1 billion.
However, after considering the submission and those of the respondents, the court decided that the victims be paid K121 million.
On costs, the court ordered that Malawi Government should cover the costs of litigation and the costs have since been determined to be K255 million.
“Both orders of compensation and costs are orders of the court that were given after assessing all the legal issues that were brought before the court. The costs awarded by the Court take into account the work that the lawyers did in the case and the time spent on the case which is normal process in each legal process,” reads part of the statement.
However, the statement does not address allegations that the lawyers in the Msundwe rape case committed to handle the case pro bono.
There are also claims that WLA got funding from United Nations and OSISA to defend the rape victims in court hence the lawyers are getting paid twice for the same work.
Meanwhile, the issue of legal costs has reminded Malawians of the K7 billion in legal fees which lawyers for President Lazarus Chakwera and Vice President Saulos Chilima received after representing the two politicians in the 2019 presidential elections case.
