The Judicial and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (JAWUZ) has observed that the continued stay of Malawian Judge, Lovemore Chikopa in the country is demeaning the country’s judicial system.
JAWUZ secretary general Vincent Makondo has since reiterated his union’s call for Judge Chikopa to go back to his country and only return to Zambia when his services will be needed.
Mr. Makondo said the fact that Judge Chikopa’s continued stay in the country is not clearly explained, it will create an impression that the executive is trying to create a parallel judiciary.He was speaking to QFM in an interview.
In May 2012 President Michael Sata swore in Malawi High court Judge Lovemore Chikopa and three other members of the tribunal – former High court Judges Naboth Mwanza and Thomas Ndlovu while Chipili Katunase Magayane was the secretary.
They were expected to investigate the alleged professional misconduct of three Judges he claimed acted unprofessional in the case involving a $2.7 million loan to a local airline in case involving the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ) and Post Newspapers Limited, JNC investment holdings and Mutembo Nchito.
However two of the three suspended judges, Nigel Mutuna and Charles Kajimanga obtained a stay to prevent the tribunal from sitting to hear their alleged impropriety pending the full determination of the judicial review by the High Court.
The two Judges asked the High Court to quash President Michael Sata’s decision to constitute a tribunal to conduct investigations of alleged impropriety or incompetence.High Court Judge, Fulgence Chisanga on May 16,2012, granted the duo leave to apply for judicial review which would operate as a stay of Mr Sata’s decision.
The State then immediately applied to the High Court to have the stay of execution of the tribunal revoked but the Zambian high court maintained its ruling to suspend the special tribunal.
High Court Judge Flugence Chisanga dismissed the application on grounds that the application by the state was premature.Judge Chisanga disagreed with Solicitor General Musa Mwenye’s submissions that the investigations to be conducted by the tribunal could not be stayed simply because the process is investigative in nature.She stated that the proposition is not correct as the investigations pertain to the removal of Judges from office and are not criminal in nature.Judge Chisanga further stated that her firm position is that the investigations, being non-criminal in nature are amenable to be stayed.
The State then filed a notice of appeal in the Supreme Court to challenge Justice Chisanga’s decision.
Supreme Court set July 17 2012 as the appeal date.The case was then adjourned to August 28, 2012.When the much anticipated August 28 date came the Case was adjourned again.The case has is still pending.
There has been concern form various organisations at Judge Chikopa’s continued stay in the country at the expense of tax payers.It is also uncertain whether the other tribunal members are also being maintained on tax payers expense.The African Parliamentarian Network against Corruption (APNAC) last year challenged government to state clearly what Malawian judge Lovemore Chikopa is still doing in the country when the tribunal he is supposed to head has not yet commenced sitting.APNAC chairperson Cornelius Mweetwa said the continued stay of Judge Chikopa in Zambia is a serious abuse of public resources and that it sends a clear message that he will be compromised.
In May 2012 the then Justice minister Sebastian Zulu was quoted as saying ‘If the Supreme Court takes a longer time to hear the matter, I agree that the judge should first go back to Malawi until the matter is disposed of in court.’
However the then Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Mr Sakeni said concerns about the continued stay and expenditure on the Malawian judge are unfounded because Government had budgeted for his coming to Zambia.
Nefitafilingile ukuleta muswa.
So what is this fella still doing? but some Govts tabakwa insoni????????
A judge chikopo muzaumbwa,pitani ku malabi.
Woulnt a judge worth of his salt have some semblance of morality . Perharps he came as sangoma under the guise of the appointment he was granted
The Police should arrest this thief called Chikopa for stealing GRZ without working for it. This Sata should for once think like a normal person; God why give this devil to your people?
The issue surrounding judge Chikopa from Malawi to dispense justice on Zambian judges has continued not only to rob Zambians of their dignity of self managing in juditial matters but also potray a picture of lack of confidence of Zambians judicial system by Mr Sata. As observed by a cross section of the citizenry, Zambians were not part of the decision to bring in judge Chikopa. Issues of corruption by judges can be prisided by other well cultured zambian judges as RB’s cases are being hundled. The resources spent on judge Chikopa and other tribunal members will be clawed back to the state from Mr Sata’s pention at a later date. The president’s proceduarl action over this matter was out of personal unkown motives not to lay it on tax payers burden.
The judge is busy working please. Give him some space. You think he can just be at a hotel doing nothing? This Mutembo case had alot of issues including corruption cases. Let it be looked into and resolved so that that money can be paid back to DBZ. Remember none of the accused refused to pay back but they complained abt RB corrupting judges in order to fix Meembe.
Busy shagging prostitutes one would presume – Really Busy!!!
ma polo ako muwononga ziko
Exactly!!! People think it’s like @ damage. Ati onyengedwa uku onyenga achose nsapato angene mu cell. No! He is busy working just give him time and will realise how corrupt some of the Judges were! Viva PF!
What shall we tell the President? Should we just tell him that the man need to leave the country?
Its the adamancy of this leadership, listen from the church, opposition, NGOs and other stakeholders, you dont know everything, accept you are just learning how to walk. Mr Sata you are a president for the first time and in old age, dont be arrogant, be humble and accept advise, otherwise, mwalafilwa kuteka, KUTEKA IMBWA MANO….
HE IS JUST FINISHING TAX PAYER’S MONEY, ALL THAT TIME HE IS NOT FINISHING
This will be one of the grounds for prosecuting the former head of state in 2017
DO NOT BLAME CHIKOPA FOR YOUR POVERTY. RB WAS BUSY STEALING YOUR MONEY AND YOU WANT HIM TO BE FREED FROM THE HOOK. WHEN A JUDGE IS HIRED TO BRING SANITY TO A SITUATION YOU START RAISING YOUR VOICE AS IF YOU ARE EVEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE TAX PAYERS MONEY.
Because RB allegedly stole does not that justify this blatant misuse of tax payer’s money. The request is simple..Chikopa goes back home until the tribunal is legally able to sit.
The bringing in of chikopa to investigate our judges is an insult on the judiciary. This gentleman is not even a supreme court judge, he is just a high court judge. @KweKwe, what investigations is he carrying out when the tribunal has been stayed?Doesn’t this amount to contempt of court and a blatant disregard of our Judiciary by the executive?
Man of action at work. This abuse of office of the highest order.people who voted for pf are sleeping hungry while chikopa is enjoying, indeed mmembe is the one ruling.imagine if this happened during mmd govt it have made headlines in the Past newspaper.Now its not given a headline.
Chikopa’s continued stay is cause by the supreme court’s failure to make a ruling. Why can’t the supreme court make a ruling all this time, almost eight months just to hear an appeal? I can smell a rat here.
Judge Chikopa is a professional Judge his stay in Zambia doesnt mean that he is poor
in Malawi, is well paid and allocated with new Toyota Prado every 4 years with a big mansion. It was the Government of Zambia who requested for his services not to work as a full time employee of GRZ but on an assignment which your Govt is better placed to know. Do not illtreat our chap or give him tough time, if he wants he can register to practice in Zambia but I dont think he can opt for that.
Its not a question of whether Chikopa is rich or poor. I personally feel this whole saga is no fault of his, he has been forced to stay in order to save face…Chikopa returning to Malawi would be very embarrassing for the appointing authority, could even discredit the whole process before it even begins.
Somone in PF will one day be jailed for wasting public money on this Malawian judge and his 5-star stay in Zambia. These guys have taken Zambians for granted too much. Just wait. As I see things now, their end is very close and some of them will really regret the day they were born. God is on the way to saving Zambians from these marauding PF satanists and their govt. Tomorrow they will be like dogs.
I dont give a sh*t about undermining the judicial system but taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be used to pay for the unneccessary keeping of a foreign judge in Lusaka. This is misuse of public funds. Can’t the lame opposition take this to court?
This a scandal. Somebody will have to answer some day, inlcuding immunity lifting. I pay tax only for this man to be paid handsomely for doing nothing. Only in Zambia.
This a scandal. Somebody will have to answer some day. inlcuding immunity lifting. I pay tax only for this man to be paid handsomely for doing nothing. Only in Zambia.
The problem is our Judiciary. Why has it taken them so long to dispose a simple a case like this one?
When the opposition say something about this,you are the same people claiming they are bitter,jealous and envious.Dont accse the oppsition here for not doing anything,do something yourself,atase,eg frame chikopo with nude prostitute
The Malawian Justice system and its national Law Association of Malawi (If it exists at all) have proved to be a bunch of useful ‘halfwits’ to their neighbouring state. Enough is enough. In our desperate efforts to save our hard-earned tax payers money, we may as well resort to hiring the Kalomo Sangoma to melt-down Judge Chikopa and send him off in a wooden casket draped with a Malawian flag.
Foolish national leaders who dont have confidence of their own electrolates. Why would you need to cross boundaries to get a judge to review your won laws in the country. Really stupid. Next time we will go and get a president from zimbabwe etc. What a desease zambians have!!!!!!!!!!!
Judges are closing ranks to protect themselves and this just shows how corrupt the judiciary has become. We have read of many judges who have been arrested for corruption but not even one case has made it to the courts and not even one judge been sent to prison. The cases are dying a natural death at the benches of their friends and the files will just disappear in time.
In Zambia, it is normal for judges to handle 2 or 3 cases in two years! You wonder why they are getting paid when they are not disposing off cases. They keep adjourning cases without any hearing and poor people continue to be detained without trial for many years. People deserve a day in court and as Zambians we should push for a change and get rid off the bad eggs in the judiciary who are conniving with criminals.
Let the good Malawian judge stay, he is one of the very few clean observers or refs aganist corruption in hyper corrupt Zambian judiciary.