A judge has taken the unusual step of seeking to ban a Cook County prosecutor from his courtroom, alleging a business-related conflict of interest, according to a court order filed Thursday.

       Judge Michael McHale, who presides over criminal cases at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, entered a court order that said Michelle Mbekeani, newly appointed head of the Conviction Review Unit, “is removed from this case as a representative of the People and shall also refrain from appearing as a representative of the People on any other case assigned to this courtroom.”

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       The order stemmed from a spat over Mbekeani’s connection to a business venture that connects defendants seeking to overturn their convictions with lawyers while serving as a prosecutor handling post-conviction cases for the state’s attorney’s office.