Crooked former attorney Mzingaye Gqomo, struck off the roll of attorneys for stealing money from clients, has been unsuccessful in his bid to be reinstated to the profession.

A Daily Dispatch report says he was cited for pocketing clients’ money in a string of incidents 20 years ago. Gqomo said recently that in hindsight, he probably was ‘too young, immature, inexperienced and ambitious’ to practise on his own.

But his claim that he was ‘a changed man and there is no possible chance of me being a recidivist offender and repeat this shameful conduct’, was roundly dismissed by the Eastern Cape High Court (Makhanda).

The court found, based on his disrespect of the oath to be honest in statements to the court in his application for readmission, it had no confidence he would not mislead a court again in the future.

Gqomo has been employed by six law firms since being interdicted from working as an attorney – including East London firm Nompozolo & Gabelana – a direct contravention of the Attorneys’ Act, according to the Legal Practice Council (LPC).

Gqomo was admitted as an attorney in 1996, and was interdicted from practising by the High Court in 2000. However, the Law Society only moved in 2007 to have him struck off and he was finally removed from the roll of attorneys in 2009, the court finding then that his dishonesty was ‘persistent and widespread’.

The Daily Dispatch report says Gqomo was also convicted in the Commercial Crimes Court in 2008 after he pleaded guilty to three counts of theft, claiming in court he had only resorted to criminal activity after being interdicted from practising as an attorney.

He was sentenced to three years of correctional supervision and a fine of R120 000.

He claimed in his application for readmission a few years ago that he had paid the fine in full, but the LPC denied this.

Judge Gerald Bloem, with Judge John Smith concurring, found that, despite a 20-year period since being interdicted from practising, Gqomo’s application for readmission did not reflect a reformed character who would act in an honest manner.

Instead, he failed to convince the court that he was a fit and proper person to be readmitted and re-enrolled as an attorney.

Full Daily Dispatch report (subscription needed)