By NATION REPORTER
YANDE Mwenye, the president of the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZICA) has been reported to the disciplinary committee of the Institute for gross professional misconduct for registering an audit firm whose name and Trademark License are of a company whose employment she had abandoned.
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Crow Global has written to Ms Mweyne, the managing Partner of Crowe Horwath Welsa Accountants Zambia Ltd informing her that the Trademark License and Control Agreement between Horwath International Registration Limited (HIR), the Zimbabwe firm and Crowe Horwath Welsa Accountans Zambia Limited has been terminated with immediate effect.
According to a letter addressed to the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of ZICA, Crowe Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe has complained against Ms Mwenye and is demanding that she should immediately drop the use of Crowe from the name of her audit company, Crowe Advisory Services Limited.
“We would like a disciplinary hearing to be held against Mrs Yande Mwenye for alleged gross unprofessional conduct which we believe to be inappropriate for a member of the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountans, let alone a president.”
Crowe Horwath Welsa Acountants Zambia Limited (CHWAZ), now Crowe Advisory Services Limited were the license holders of the Crowe Brand which is owned by Crowe Global. Mrs Yande Mwenye, while serving as managing director of CHWAZ abandoned employment without notice and went to register a firm under the name Crowe Chartered Accountant Zambia without authorization or approval from the licensee, CHWAZ,” Raymond Sibanda, the International Liaison Partner of Crowe Chartered Accounts of Zimbabwe said.
Mr Sibanda said in the letter to ZICA that Ms Mwenye was denying the newly appointed chief executive officer of Crowe Horwath Welsa Zambia Limited access to company’s assets and offices.
He claimed that Ms Mwenye had since converted the company assets to her own use and that there was a strong suspicion that the company assets were being utilized to prop up her personal business.
In another letter from Crowe Global signed by Thomas Manisero, the Risk and Legal Advisor and addressed to Ms Yande Mwenye, Regiss Nzara and CHWAZ, Ms Mwenye had been directed that the Zambian firm should immediately cease holding itself out as being associated with Crowe Global in Zambia.
Ms Mwenye, Nzara and CHWAZ have been directed to take measures and discontinue the use of Crowe Global’s brand and other intellectual property, including the removal of the use of all signage displaying the intellectual property in Zambia.
“The continued use by the Zambia firm of intellectual property previously licensed to them in Zambia constitute trademark infringement and breach of contract. Crowe Global and HIR will if necessary, take all appropriate legal actions to address any such infringement and breach of contract, and all legal rights and remedies are reserved,” Mr Manisero warned in his letter.
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