18/09/2026
Some legal advice is passed around so often that people assume it must be true, but repetition doesn't turn a legal myth into law.
Here are five:
MYTH 1: "If the police arrest you, you are guilty."
False.
An arrest is not the same thing as a conviction.
MYTH 2: "A contract must be stamped before it can ever be valid."
Not every contractual issue can be reduced to that blanket statement.
The legal effect of stamping depends on the nature of the document and the transaction.
MYTH 3: "If I delete a defamatory post, the problem disappears."
Not necessarily.
Deleting content may remove it from your page, but it does not automatically erase the legal consequences of what has already been published.
MYTH 4: "If someone owes me money, I can simply use the police to recover it."
Not automatically.
A civil debt or breach of contract does not, by itself, become a criminal matter merely because the creditor wants police involvement.
MYTH 5: "If I have a Certificate of Occupancy, nobody can challenge my property."
A title document is important, but property transactions require proper investigation and verification.
The document, title history, registration status, encumbrances and applicable requirements all matter.
The lesson?
Don't make legal decisions based on things you've heard from friends, social media or "someone who knows someone."
When money, property, business or liberty is involved, verify the law.
