Lavery Modise, chairperson of Hogan Lovells SA, has written a response to forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan's letter to the UK's Solicitor's Regulation Authority in which he implicated the global multinational as a central part of the South African state capture story.
Below is the unedited letter.
I have received a copy of Paul O'Sullivan's letter. He is a passionate anti-corruption campaigner, but his understanding of the South African legal system and his attempt to lay the genuine suffering of our country at our doorstep is incorrect and not well-founded.
I have no doubt that we serve the founding principles of the constitution of this country with professional dignity, professional independence and responsibility. The rule of law means listening to the evidence, adhering to attorney-client confidentiality, decent representation, and due process – for individuals, corporations, and the state.
We stand by these principles and the South African legal system and will vigorously defend it as would every reputable law firm in South Africa. It is what separates us from the rule of the mob and conviction by accusation and guilt by association.
We welcome any review of our work by the appropriate authorities and by parliament.
O'Sullivan and his organisation, Forensics for Justice, sent a blockbuster document to the watchdog authority to support a complaint by Lord Peter Hain against Hogan Lovells.