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A simmering dispute over unpaid legal fees has spilled into the Lusaka High Court, with a law firm owned by Lusaka lawyer Joseph Chirwa dragging PF faction Secretary-General Morgan Ng’ona to court for allegedly failing to honour a K2 million bill—despite repeated assurances that “government would handle everything.”
According to the court filings, Messrs Joseph Chirwa & Company said Ng’ona issued instructions on behalf of the PF on January 24 and August 27, 2024, directing the firm to manage several legal battles involving the party.
The firm said the tasks were extensive and demanding, covering court appearances, drafting documents, legal strategy and all professional work associated with contentious political litigation.
The understanding, the plaintiff stated, was straightforward: each legal matter attracted a flat fee of K200,000, payable regardless of how advanced the court proceedings were.
What followed, the firm said, was a working relationship built on confidence that Ng’ona had both the authority and the means to settle the fees.
The lawyers said they believed him especially after he allegedly assured them that he and his associates had “the backing of State House,” and that the government would take responsibility for the costs.
“That it initially exercised great restraint by not pursuing this matter beyond demands for payment that were issued. This was with a view to maintaining the confidentiality of the circumstances surrounding the accrual of the debt as the defendant consistently made representations to the effect that he along with his associates in the party enjoyed the support of State House and the President,” the firm stated.
Despite issuing a fee note on October 30, 2024, followed by two reminders, the firm claims that Ng’ona went silent.
Still, the lawyers said they held back from escalating the dispute, preferring to remain discreet because Ng’ona continued insisting that government officials were “handling it.”
They added that on July 4, 2024, both a Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs and a special assistant at State House reaffirmed that the legal fees would be paid.
But many months later, the firm said the bill—now standing at K2 million—remained unsettled.
The lawyers argued that Ng’ona’s failure to pay has strained their operations and disrupted the normal functioning of the firm.
Messrs Chirwa & Company is now asking the High Court to order: Payment of the K2 million in outstanding legal fees; interest at commercial lending rates or as determined by the Court; and damages for inconvenience and disruption to business.
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