Mr Michael Sullivan QC, a London-based Lawyer who has acted as counsel for the Republic of Zambia in a number of high profile legal cases in London was among five eminent practitioners shortlisted for the United Kingdom (UK) Lawyer of the Year 2007 Award.
Mr Sullivan was shortlisted for his conduct of the corruption proceedings in the ZAMTROP, Donegal as well as his involvement in an ICC arbitration in London relating to the former lottery, Kwachamania.
According to a statement released by Second Press Secretary at the Zambian embassy in Britain Rejoyce Lukumba and obtained by ZANIS, the Awards, which are intended to acknowledge lawyers pre-eminent in their fields, were conducted by the Legal Business Awards at the well attended ceremony held last Thursday at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, in London.
The nomination of Mr Sullivan reflects recognition in the English legal community of the importance of the cases brought in London on behalf of the Republic of Zambia and the fight against corruption.
Asked to comment on his being shortlisted for the Lawyer of the Year Award, Mr Sullivan said: “the progress that is being made in the fight against corruption would not have been possible without the political will and determination of President Levy Mwanawasa, who has taken a direct interest in the cases and has spearheaded the fight against corruption”.
Mr Sullivan has also been appointed as a Queen’s Counsel of Her Majesty the Queen.
Her Majesty the Queen recently approved the appointment of Mr. Sullivan.
On his appointment as the Queen’s Counsel, Mr Sullivan said: “it is an honour to be bestowed the title Queen’s Counsel”.
Mr Sullivan, a Barrister practising at One Essex Court, is instructed in the cases by Solicitors, DLA Piper, who also won the Dispute Resolution Team of the Year Award.
The Award was in recognition of DLA Piper team led by, Janet Legrand that represented the Republic of Zambia on three highly significant matters, including the Republic’s flagship anti-corruption proceedings against former second republican president Dr Frederick Chiluba, and its defence of a major vulture fund claim.
Instructed in the cases by Solicitors, DLA Piper, Mr Sullivan has co-led the cases with Mr William Blair QC, in a London High Court, which later held Dr. Chiluba and four others to have conspired in defrauding Zambia of US$25 million and US$21 million respectively from two major conspiracies.
Mr Blair, a specialist in banking and commercial fraud, joined the team upon Mr Sullivan’s recommendation.
Mr Blair has since been appointed as High Court Judge.
The team defended the Government of the Republic of Zambia after a High Court judge ruled that Zambia must pay a substantial sum to a so-called “vulture fund” when a British Virgin Islands-based Donegal International paid less than US$4m for a debt Zambia owed, but later sued Zambia for a US$42m repayment.
Wait of webspace these are British issues and have nothing to do with Zambia. Why not Honour Zambian Lawyers?
Codi muziba,
go back to school for your GED maybe you will learn some basic writing skills in English.What you have put up there is too incoherent. What do you mean by your “Wait of webspace”?
How does the story affect me?
#3
If you are Zambian it does, if not (as I suspect you are not, from your name, you are Angolan) forget about it!!! I bet your real first name is “Miguel” last name “Palata”, there are no such names in Zambia. Wrong forum or next time try a pseudonym like “James Bond”.
This clearly affects Zambia because these were the lawyers who have been handling corruption cases on behalf of GRZ in UK courts. I do not understand why #1 and #3 are trying to distance this story from Zambia when it clearly has to do with our country. Please read the story again with open and level heads.
Why do we fail to see and understand straight forward issues? We seriously need to address the standards of education in our country.
That’s very good for him.we need to see our money from the plunderers chiluba and the other boys.
My friend dont you know Zambia is not only for names which look like Chilufya Sata, and popular H names. You shallow minded who cant think beyond your house Kictchen, Bedroom and booze you drink at a Kamiz ntemba..
Mulishani bane
Joze
iwe chi pooku chaku manda that was just a typo you Human chikusi
Hello Zambia,
A rather unfortunate and petty personal attack from the some colleagues on the above comments.
I am Zambian. I feel its unfair to for someone who knows little about me to insult my interligence on the basis of my name.
I, in my personal capacity have represented this country at important local and international forums and I deserve some respect just like the rest of everyone else.
I will still stick to my stance; How does this affect me?
This so called corruption crusade is a total failure and has not benefited me and you in any way. It political gimic, Wake Up!
The Auditor General’s reoprt is a clear manifestation of my assertion. Its mere propagandar!
Bana bonse,
This was a clear waste of public funds when the same facts are being tried in our Magistrate Courts in Zambia. We could have used the same funds paid to this lawyer to pay our own local lawyers. This is the problem we have as black people even when issues are straight forward. We have empowered this man and he is laughing at us. We need to start appreciating our own achievements not foriegners. We are now talking about empowering Zambians and yet the same Zambian government is no.1 to break the rules. This is one mistake Mwanawansa will regret for the rest of his life. Bush is now regreting of having authorized a war which has kept on getting our taxes.
Bane,
I agree with you Mingeli.What has this benefited any Zambian? We do not need Mwanawansa to be hiring lawyers for us from foriegn countries on our tax payers pocket. How much was spent on this lawyer and how much did we recover? The Auditor General’s report is telling us government officials are failing to account for the monies especially outside the country. We need to stop listening from cheap politics like the one above.
I agree with you mingeli for your opinion.What has it got to do with us here in zambia.Do there mind in UK when levy is honoured as Dr chuchu?Besides you can’t find levy’s name in any news paper in UK but the zambian news papers are the first to write about this chi muzungu.
“We have empowered this man and he is laughing at us.”
I guarantee you this man is not laughing at you. He’s doing his job. He did his job.