Suspended Lusaka lawyer Martha Mushipe has sued a company she represented before her practicing licence was suspended, demanding K30,000 unpaid legal fees.

Mushipe has sued Jasp Enterprises Limited, it’s directors James Yasini Phiri and Rita Chalwe Bwalya, in the Lusaka High Court seeking an order for immediate payment of the money owed to her.

She also wants interest on the said amount including legal costs for the court action and any other reliefs that the court may deem fit.

In a statement of claim filed in the Lusaka High Court, Mushipe stated that on April 9, last year, she entered into a written agreement with the defendants (Jasp enterprises limited) to represent them with regard to a debt owed to them by Barrrick Lumwana Mining Company Limited, adding that the contract was endorsed by the representative parties.

She claimed that upon agreement of K30,000 deposit, she accepted instructions from the defendants and proceeded to file and issue a writ of summons and statement of claim dated May 22, 2018.

Mushipe stated that she diligently carried out the instructions given to her by the defendants and also successfully recovered the debt on behalf of the defendants before her law firm was closed by the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ).

She further stated that defendants withdrew the instructions just at the point when she was winding up their case.

“The plaintiff rendered legal and professional services to the defendants at their own request and instance with regard to case number 2018/HPC/0217. In pursuing the defendant’s instructions, the plaintiff diligently carried out the said instructions and almost managed to uphold the defendant’s interest in recovering the debt owed by Barrick Lumwana mining company limited to the defendants and before trial they withdraw its instructions which also was a direct closure of the plaintiff’s law firm by LAZ,” read the statement of claim.

Mushipe lamented that the defendants had since refused to settle the outstanding legal fees.