PARLIAMENT yesterday unanimously passed three legal bills with acting leader of Government business Kalombo Mwansa saying the amendments were progressive for the country.
The three bills which came up for second reading and passed without much debate were the Legal Practitioners Bill, Zambia Law Development Commission and the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education Bill.
Dr Mwansa, who said the MPs should support amendments to the bills because they were progressive and not controversial, presented all the three bills.
On the Legal Practitioners Amendment Bill, Dr Mwansa said the Bill sought to give guidelines on people who sought to practice law and how they should be removed from office.
He said under the current law, only University Zambia (UNZA) law graduates were eligible to be admitted for a practicing certificate at the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE).
He said the Bill sought to allow students from other local universities to be admitted at the institute and at the same time allow the president to appoint the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) as a State counsel.
He said while the Legal Practitioners Act allowed ZIALE to admit students from foreign universities, it did not provide for the admission of law graduates from local private universities.
Chairperson of the legal committee Sakwiba Sikota said all witnesses to the committee supported the amendments to the Bill because the current law was contrary to the Constitution because it did not cater for all law graduates in Zambia.
Kalomo Central MP Request Muntanga (UPND) supported the amendment and said there was need for lawyers to be accredited and properly monitored to avoid unscrupulous people from stealing from people.
Presenting the Zambia Law Development Commission Bill, Dr Mwansa said it sought to make it more inclusive and reduce the two-thirds majority to form a quorum for a meeting.
He said the ZIALE Bill also sought to expand the ZIALE council and avoid leakages at the institution.
[Times of Zambia]
they can pass all the bills they want. they dont follow them anyway. on another note why is evarybody obsessed with 2011 on this site. just time when some other idiot will come to power.
This is an important news story which does not focus on individuals. But as testament to Our pre occupation with Politics and name calling, it does not attract many contributions from “ama blogger”. Are we that shallow as a nation, do we only respond when the names sata, HH, RB or Tentamashimba and his side kick Mulongoti (Beevas and Butthead or Barney Rubble and Fred Flinstone) . Sorry, could not resist adding that, those two crack me up.