Leroy Kajo Equiano

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

The Disciplinary Committee found Attorney Leroy Equiano guilty on a complaint by Berchell Melbourne that he withdrew Mr. Melbourne's Court of Appeal matter (No. 54/03) without the complainant's verbal or written permission. Applying the criminal standard (beyond reasonable doubt), the Panel found Mr. Melbourne a witness of truth, found Mr. Equiano's affidavit inconsistent with his viva voce evidence, and found his supporting witness (paralegal Miss Donat Moore) unreliable. The Panel found Mr. Equiano breached Canon 1(b) and failed to deal with the client's business with due expedition, and was negligent. No express finding of dishonesty was made. Sanction was deferred to allow mitigation per Owen Clunie v General Legal Council; no sanction or costs were imposed in this decision.

Duties found breached:

• No taking unfair advantage
• Uphold public trust in the profession
• No improper use of client money