Maravi

Zambians await LAZ action on Mchenga, says Sichinga

Zambians await LAZ action on Mchenga, says Sichinga
Written by George Zulu in Monze
Monday, September 28, 2009 8:37:08 AM

Economic and political analyst Robert Sichinga has said revelations by works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti that Chiluba’s acquittal on corruption and theft charges was doctored and planned has stripped and left the judiciary naked. And Sichinga said Zambians are patiently waiting to see what action the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) will take on Director of Public Prosecutions Chalwe Mchenga for refusing to appeal the acquittal of former president Frederick Chiluba.

In an interview in Monze, Sichinga said he was disappointed with Chiluba’s acquittal because it compromised and undermined the fight against corruption and the independence of the judiciary.

“I think Dr Chiluba should really have not been done a favour. According to Mulongoti, the acquittal was orchestrated and planned by government. So how do people believe in the judiciary system if it can be manipulated?

Where is justice? So Mr Chiluba will remain under the cloud under these circumstances; they are not doing him any favour. If I were in his shoes, I would be saying this is not good for me,” Sichinga said.

He said Chiluba’s acquittal had implications especially that some of his co-accused had been jailed by the same magistrate over the same offence. He said Mulongoti’s revelations about Chiluba’s acquittal have left the judiciary naked.

“Why was he charged in the first place? Was it not the same magistrate who found Chiluba with a case to answer? Is it not the same magistrate that jailed Chiluba’s wife for receiving stolen property from Chiluba? But all of a sudden, Chiluba has no case to answer! How has that happened? How is it possible? So it shows his incompetence, then he is not administering justice accordingly… He has no honour to be on the bench at all. He should have resigned,” Sichinga said.

And Sichinga said Mchenga should resign without any hesitation for failing to appeal against Chiluba’s acquittal. He said Mchenga must not wait for people to ask him to resign because he had failed to do his job, which was to defend the public in a diligent and honest manner by not allowing the appeal to go ahead when the Task Force on Corruption challenged Chiluba’s acquittal.

“He is a public defender. But has he defended the public? No, he has not done that, so I think he has no morals to stand on which he can stand anymore and LAZ should be able to answer that because he is their member even if they have just said that he should have appealed. The people of Zambia are still patiently waiting to see what the Law Association of Zambia will do to their member, even them according to their president Steven Lungu had expected more from Mchenga,” said Sichinga.

And Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) said the stance taken by the government over Chiluba’s acquittal was unfortunate and had completely diluted the fight against corruption.

TIZ executive director Goodwell Lungu said it was unfortunate that Vice-President George Kunda, who took Chiluba to the London High Court, had u-turned his own decision.

Lungu said the stance taken by Vice-President Kunda was capable of setting precedence where people would be free to abuse public funds because those in high political offices would protect them.

He wondered why the government was scared to allow the due process of the law to take its course.

Lungu said civil society organisations were mobilising themselves to come up with strategies to pressure government to reconsider its position on Chiluba’s acquittal and failure to appeal against the case.

Labels: CHALWE MCHENGA, CHILUBA, JUDICIARY, MIKE MULONGOTI, ROBERT SICHINGA

posted by MrK @ 7:36 AM