Felistas Chatukuta
Felistas Chatukuta is a Zimbabwean legal practitioner. She was sworn in as a judge of the High Court in October 2005. In June 2021, Chatukuta was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court.
Career
Chatukuta was sworn in as a judge of the High Court in 2005 together with Joseph Musakwa.[1] On 3 June 2021, Chatukuta was sworn in as a Supreme Court justice by the Elizabeth Gwaunza.[2]
Notable Rulings
Deregistering of a Senior Lawyer
In 2019, Chatukuta led a three-member panel of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal that deregistered Tayengwa Dugmore Muskwe who had been practising for 30 years when he breached the Legal Practitioners Act. Muskwe had pleaded guilty to improper conduct.
Other members of the tribunal were Justice Joseph Musakwa and lawyer Davison Kanokanga.
The tribunal convicted Muskwe of failing to pay his client over US$68 000 that was deposited into his firm’s trust account, on time.
In deleting Muskwe from the roll, Justice Chatukuta said the lawyer’s admission to the offence was a clear testimony of misappropriation of the client’s funds.
She said such conduct invited nothing else, but for Muskwe to be struck off the register of legal practitioners, notaries public and conveyancers. She also ordered Muskwe to pay all the costs for the proceedings.
Chatukuta also said Muskwe’s conduct brought into disrepute the integrity of the entire legal profession.[3]
References
- ↑ Disregard for basic journalistic principles, Kubatana, Published: No Date Given, Retrieved: June 3, 2021
- ↑ ARNOLD FANDISO, Supreme Court judges sworn in, NewsDay, Published: June 3, 2021, Retrieved: June 3, 2021
- ↑ Senior lawyer de-registered, The Herald, Published: January 1, 2019, Retrieved: June 3, 2021
