Man Who 'Faked' Being A Lawyer But Still Won Dozens Of Cases Has Been Arrested

By Haider Ali in Crime On 18th October 2023
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Authorities are said to have detained a fake lawyer who won 26 cases.

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According to BBC News, authorities claim that a guy going by the name Brian Mwenda is a "masquerader" and is currently practicing law.

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Authorities further charged that the individual had stolen Brian Mwenda Ntwiga's true identity as a lawyer.

Is anyone experiencing memories of the 2002 movie Catch Me If You Can? There seems to be a four-part Netflix documentary in the works.

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In front of magistrates, judges from the Court of Appeal, and high court justices, the lawyer reportedly handled dozens of successful cases, according to the Nigerian Tribune.

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Following several public complaints, the guy was taken into custody by the Nairobi Branch of the Law Society of Kenya's Rapid Action Team, as reported by NDTV.

"The Branch wishes to notify all members of the society and of the public that BRIAN MWENDA NJAGI is not an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, from the Society's records, neither is he a member of the Branch," The Law Society of Kenya wrote on X.

The source adds that he is being detained by authorities pending additional inquiry.

The Ghana Web claims that the individual entered The Law Society of Kenya portal, found an account with a name that matched his, and altered the information.

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After that, he posted a picture of himself and declared that he was a lawyer.

An urgent meeting to look into how Mwenda gained access to the account and took on the persona of a legitimate lawyer was held last week.

According to the publication, the actual Brian Mwenda Ntwiga discovered that he could no longer connect to the system and that certain of his personal information had been changed.

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He then got in touch with the Secretariat.

"On the 5th Day of August 2022, Brian Mwenda Ntwiga was admitted to the Bar, and his correct email address was captured and an Account opened for him in the Advocates portal," The Law Society of Kenya said via a statement.

"We reached out to Advocate Brian Mwenda Ntwiga who confirmed that he had not applied for a practicing certificate since his admission, the reason being that he had been working at the Office of the Attorney General and did not require a Practicing Certificate."

It has also been stated that he made a social media video statement.

The man said: "I would like to convey my gratitude to the people who are supporting me and praying for me... in the fullness of time I will be able to clear this misunderstanding.”

"I will also be able to provide my innocence and provide the actual context."

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The case of the fake lawyer, Brian Mwenda, impersonating a legitimate attorney has raised concerns about online platform security. It has also emphasized the need for stronger verification processes in the legal profession.