Maravi

Rupiah should stop meddling in affairs of judiciary – Sondashi

Rupiah should stop meddling in affairs of judiciary – Sondashi
By Patson Chilemba
Sat 24 Oct. 2009, 04:01 CAT

LUSAKA lawyer Ludwig Sondashi yesterday said the delivery of justice will only be improved when President Rupiah Banda stops meddling in the affairs of the judiciary and not increasing the number of judges at the Supreme Court and High Court.

Sondashi said the delivery of justice could not be improved by increasing the number of judges at the Supreme and High courts.

He said President Banda should stop meddling in the affairs of the judiciary.
Sondashi said it was clear that President Banda influenced the judgments in which former president Frederick Chiluba and education minister Dora Siliya were acquitted.

He said President Banda also prevailed over Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Chalwe Mchenga's move to withdraw the appeal against Chiluba in the High Court.
President Banda wanted to grant himself powers to increase the number of judges of the Supreme Court to 11 and High Court to 50 through a Statutory Instrument.
And Sondashi charged that President Rupiah Banda will continue apologising looking at the manner he is handling national issues.

And Commenting on President Banda's apology on the current fuel shortage, Sondashi said he hoped this was the last apology President Banda was making.
However, Sondashi said the apology from President Banda came when the damage had already been created.

“I hope this apology will be the last one because the way things are moving, President Banda will continue apologising,” he said.

Sondashi said things would continue to go wrong in the country because President Banda had no vision to govern the nation.

“So, we are telling him that he should go back to his farm, where there was nothing at the farm when he was there,” he said.

Sondashi said President Banda should not think that he would govern forever.
He said President Banda's governance would come to an end in 2011 but he was mistaken if he had failed to realise this reality.

Sondashi said this was the more reason why President Banda had failed to convene a convention in the MMD because he was scared of being defeated.

On government's defiance to the public to sell 75 per cent shares in Zamtel, Sondashi said President Banda wanted to benefit from the sale of Zamtel through his sons.

“I can't allow this. I have worked in government many years to put things right. They will be able to steal after we are dead some of us,” Sondashi said. “They would have privatised 49 per cent of the shares, not 75 per cent of the hen which lays eggs for this country.”

Sondashi said the “Rupiah Banda and son mentality” was just there, plotting to enrich itself.

“Whatever he looks at, even Zamtel, you can see that there is a son who wants to benefit,” he said.

Sondashi also revealed that his party FDI, would contest the Solwezi Central parliamentary by-election.

Sondashi asked the PF and UPND pact to get behind him because he stood a better chance of winning the election in Solwezi.

Asked if he would consider joining the pact, Sondashi said he would think about the proposal in areas where he did not have advantage of winning.

He said the people of Solwezi had suffered because of President Banda's failed government.

“So MMD cannot win unless they rig the elections,” Sondashi said.

Labels: JUDICIARY, LUDWIG SONDASHI, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 9:53 AM