The New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal has ordered that Rohineet Sharma be struck from the Roll of Barristers and Solicitors.

The Auckland solicitor admitted a charge of misconduct brought by the New Zealand Law Society.

To finance Mr Sharma’s purchase of a commercial property, a lending institution required a first mortgage to be registered against another property owned by Mr Sharma.

To facilitate this, and without authority, Mr Sharma discharged the mortgage to another lender on that other property, submitted a false solicitor’s certificate to the new lending institution and filed a false discharge of mortgage certificate with Landonline to effect the discharge of the mortgage.

New Zealand Law Society President Chris Moore says a lawyer must not engage in conduct which is misleading or deceptive.

“Honesty and integrity are underpinning virtues of the legal profession which must be upheld. Lawyers have freedoms afforded to them for the effective provision of legal services. It is obviously critical that lawyers do not abuse these privileges.”

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