MASERU — A top lawyer is facing eviction from his offices in Maseru after he allegedly refused to pay rent to a local company.
The Lesotho Public Motor Transport Company says it gave some office space to Advocate Koili Ndebele some three years ago.
The company is being represented by Advocate Tekane Maqakachane.
It says under the terms of the agreement, Ndebele was supposed to pay rentals of M10 000 every month to the transport company.
It also says in the event of Ndebele failing to pay the rentals the company would “cancel the lease agreement and demand exclusive occupation of the office”.
The company claims to have sublet the office space to Ndebele after he left a law firm he was working with, Patrick Kgwadi Chambers.
The company says the agreement included a clause allowing Ndebele to off-set part of the rent with bills for legal assistance he was rendering to the company.
Maqakachane says in the claim that the official signing of the agreement was in July last year.
“Since July 2010, defendant refused, neglected and/or failed to pay the monthly rentals as agreed,” says Maqakachane in papers filed in court.
Instead, Ndebele became involved in litigation against the plaintiff resulting in the cancellation of the sub-lease on 28 February this year, said Maqakachane.
“Notwithstanding the cancellation and the demand to pay the monthly rentals and to vacate the shared offices, defendant has refused to do so and continues to occupy plaintiff’s office,” Maqakachane says.
Maqakachane described Ndebele’s sharing of office space with the company as unlawful in that it breached the Legal Practitioners Act 1983.
“Defendant in his practice of his profession as advocate, occupies the same offices which have intercommunication and share office space with the office occupied by the plaintiff and its directors, which is a conduct proscribed by the Legal Practitioners Act 1983,” he says.
Ndebele declined to comment.
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