There are Principled people in Zimbabwe 😳 Advocate Lewis Uriri decline Wicknell Chivayo's car gift valued at $250,000. Advocate Uriri's statement:_ Dear Wicknell, Thank you for your generous words about my professional work and for your kind acknowledgment of my wife. I appreciate your recognition of the dedication with which I discharged the briefs entrusted to me. My wife and I have carefully considered your announcement and must respectfully decline the vehicle and both cash gifts. For clarity, we last spoke in June 2024, and I have undertaken no professional work for you since then. The historical work to which your tribute refers was performed in my professional capacity and paid for in full. My remuneration was for services actually rendered. Your announcement came as a complete surprise, without prior notice or discussion. Given the distance that has developed between us since our last conversation, the substantial nature of the gifts, and their express connection to past professional services, I must approach this gesture with particular care. Zimbabwe’s Legal Practitioners’ Code of Conduct requires us to preserve our integrity, safeguard our professional independence and maintain public confidence in the profession. The International Bar Association’s principles and the International Commission of Jurists’ writings likewise emphasise that a lawyer’s professional judgment must remain independent and free from conflicting personal interests. Applying those standards to these circumstances, I consider it necessary to decline benefits that could reasonably create a perception of personal financial obligation extending beyond a concluded and fully remunerated professional engagement. My wife and I attach great importance to preserving both our professional standing and public confidence in our independence. The independence reflected in your generous tribute is a responsibility I must continue to uphold. Please receive our decision in the respectful spirit in which it is conveyed. We appreciate the generosity expressed and your acknowledgment of my past work. Our decision is nevertheless firm: we will not accept the vehicle or either of the cash gifts. We wish you well and trust that you will understand and respect our position. Advocate Dr Lewis Uriri. He refused cash as well