Convicted in Malawi
An unregistered barrister has been reprimanded by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) after being convicted in Malawi of possession and the attempted exportation of Indian Hemp.
Allan Zalimba Joel Ntata was discovered to be in possession of 38.1 grams of Indian Hemp without a license or lawful excuse, the regulator said. Additionally, he was found to have attempted to export it to the UK without the required license.
In March 2022, Ntata pleaded guilty before the First Grade Magistrate presiding at Chisenjere in Malawi. He was ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 Malwaian Kwacha, roughly £47.
Dishing out its own sanction, the BSB said that Ntata “failed to be open and co-operative… and to report promptly or at all that on 2 March 2022 he was charged in another jurisdiction with a criminal offence of comparable seriousness to an indictable offence in England and Wales.”
A three person disciplinary tribunal found that Ntata had “behaved in a way which is likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the public places in him or in the profession and did something which could reasonably be seen by the public to undermine his integrity”.
For his actions Ntata was reprimanded, advised about his future conduct, and ordered to pay £250 costs. The BSB were also ordered not to issue him a practising certificate for a period of three months.
This decision is open to appeal.
Called to the bar in March 2004 by Middle Temple, Ntata does not hold a practising certificate and is therefore classified as an unregistered barrister.
