Lusaka High Court Judge Albert Wood today testified before the Chikopa tribunal how suspended Judge Charles Kajimanga allegedly conducted himself unprofessionally.
Judge Wood told the tribunal that Judge Kajimanga allegedly interfered in, illegally retrieved or caused to have retrieved and presided over a matter that he was handling in the commercial court.
Justice Wood recalled that in 2008 when he was appointed High Court Judge, he was given a responsibility in the commercial court to handle the case between Finsbury Investments Limited versus Antonio Ventriglia and Manuela Sebastiani Ventriglia.
Judge Wood told the tribunal that after hearing testimony from a number of witnesses and before the case was disposed off, it was retrieved from him by Judge Charles Kajimanga who was deputy Judge in charge at the time.
Judge Wood further told the tribunal that in a similar manner another matter involving the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ) versus Post Newspapers Limited, JCN Holdings Limited and Mutembo Nchito was retrieved from him on grounds that Post Newspaper Editor-In-Chief Fred Member was his friend and that he had taken too much time to dispose-off the case.
This is in matter where three judges are alleged to have interfered in, illegally retrieved or caused to have retrieved and presided over the matter from High Court judge Albert Wood.
In the first matter, Lusaka High Court Judge Albert Wood told the tribunal that he was asked by Judge Kajimanga to recuse himself and handover for relocation the file of Finsbury Investments Limited versus Antonio Ventriglia and Manuela Sebastiani Ventriglia.
Judge Wood testified that this was on grounds that Dr. Rajan Mathan, a major shareholder of Finsbury was his (Wood) client whom he was accused of having represented in one of his (Mathan) cases.
He further explained that he was accused of being a sympathizer of the Patriotic Front (PF) party which was then in the opposition hence he was asked to return the files of the case to the Deputy Judge in Charge Charles Kajimanga for relocation.
But Judge Wood denied ever representing Dr. Mathan during his private practice at the AM Wood law firm from which he retired in 2008 after he was appointed as high court judge.
He contended that in fact he represented Savior Koni against Dr. Mathan in 2009 when he was already a high court judge and not the opposite as claimed by Judge Kajimanga.
In the second matter which was also retrieved from him which involved the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ) versus Post Newspapers Limited, JCN Holdings Limited and Mutembo Nchito, Judge Wood denied being friends with Mr. Mmembe saying contrary to the accusation, he never went to the same school or university with the later.
He noted that there was no reason for the case to be retrieved from him as he is not Mr. Mmembe’s friend and did not belong to the then opposition PF.
Judge Wood stated that prior to the retrieval of the matter from him, he had made a number of rulings that none of the parties involved made appealed against.
Matters before the tribunal are that in respect to justice Musonda and Judge Kajimanga, it will inquire into how they allegedly interfered in and illegally retrieved or caused the retrieval of the case involving DBZ versus the Post Newspapers Limited, JCN Holdings Limited and Mutembo Nchito from high court Judge Albert Wood.
The tribunal is further inquiring into how Justice Musonda and Judge Kajimanga interfered in and illegally retrieved or caused the retrieval of the case involving Finsbury Investments Limited versus Antonio Ventriglia and Manuela Sebastiani Ventriglia.
The three judges are alleged to have interfered in, illegally retrieved or caused to have retrieved and presided over the matter from High Court judge Albert Wood.
The tribunal was appointed by President Sata on April 30, 2012, to investigate alleged professional misconduct of Supreme Court judge Phillip Musonda and two High Court Judges Nigel Mutuna and Charles Kajimanga.
The tribunal will continue sitting tomorrow with more witnesses expected to testify.
ZANIS
This is the story i was waiting for.Am glad my wish has been granted.Bring it on !!!!
witches and wizards are out for human blood!!,,,,, the final verdict of this tribunal is known already,, why waste money formalise the verdict..
1. Judge Wood is PF.
2. Mmembe is too heartless a ‘person’ to compete against.
3. This show is too staged for any intelligent or rich person to enjoy.
Judge Chipoka fighting a cause for Fred Mmembe and Nchito. A serious conspiracy in the 14Billion loan. These fraudsters want to use the law thru the corporate veil to steal clear……(More hammers, more houses in New Kasama and more trucks and farms.) Chikopa , wood and all witnesses in this tribunal , Indeed useful idiots!!
UPUBA JUDGMENTS FROM UPUBA JUDGES already written at Bwinjifumu rd-Mmembe. A Judgment soon to be read by this toilet tissue Judge Chikopa, just being used for a cause he doesn’t know-pure theft.
Why even waste tax payers money on this academic exercise whose out come is already fixed and well known by the public- SAVE Mmembe-Nchito and cover the 14billion using the law. What a miscarriage of justice!!!!!
After this Sham tribunal then will come Lombe Chibesakunda with her upuba Judgment in the 14 Billion appeal to clear Mmembe-Nchito. No wonder the hostage Lombe is being held as acting CJ. After Mmembe -Nchito are cleared by supreme court, only then would Lombe Chibesakunda be damped- Used tissue!…All calcualted by Mmembe and Co…….Ooh my beloved country, plz arise and…
while justice Musonda knew what he was up to in all these allegations that’s why he has refused to appear before Chikopa tribunal. Lets wait and see more to come
The hour of reckoning guys-you must answer for your actions -let the rats now scamper!!! hahaha get out the pop corn lm going to love this. We have suffered at the hands of these corrupt judges
Sttupid, can’t you see that all cases evolve around justice wood? its all to tdo with mahtani and membes nchito’s cases you fool can’t see? These judges were brave thats membe is out on a campaign to break there spine
3.1 l see the best part of you remained in your fathers trousers
@her mejersty, one thing you are also not seeing is that RB wanted Mmembe and Nchito to be fixed, wiped out of the Zambian opposition system. So he engineered to switch judges on tramped up charges. You know the idea of justice is to let the natural course of the law to proceed. Interference by both sides is bad. Clearly, Judge Wood should have completed those cases, if there were appeals to be made, they would have been made. But to stop a case so that you can expedite judgement by changing judges is a travesty of justice. Allow the tribunal to establish the truth. You go and testify if you have better evidence.
Too many rats and little cheese
Nice thought/comment… so mwameka 🙂
@Nostradamus, kikikikiki. Hi Nubian. OK but even if ba Wood could have been a sympathiser of PF, those judges should have advised their “financiers” to simply appeal Wood’s judgements rather than to hijack case files like lawless caharacters of Chibolya compound, ata….se
Judge Wood is a Mule in this judicial circus! Can Judge Wood also clarify his friendship with the Nchito’s who are an active part of JCN holdings. Judge Kajimanga acted in good faith, because he could predict the obvious verdict if things were left to their accused’s “associate Judge”
What happened to magistrates or judges recusing themselves from cases where they have a conflict of interest? Being friends with an accused is sufficient grounds for a magistrate/judge to recuse themselves from the case at hand. Judges are only human and as such they can not shut down that part that attaches them to the accused just on wearing that wig. Judge Wood raises questions as well.
Whilest those who do nto know anything bark u have talked sense….who is judge Albert wood?
I am now waiting read the Hollywood version from the ZWD.
It’s politically motivated matter
SING! #Mwaona manje mwayamba kulila……”
This is what the opposition has been defending!
Whethr politcaly motivted or not guilty or not shal be reveald in order to clear allegations aganist the judges acused.Wheher resigned or not vindication thru the courts shal be determind.So lets wait & see.It is on now & truth shal be reveald.Judge Wood wil equaly giv his story folowed by posible prosecution not persecution in the courts.No way can investigation be ursurped at all.Time has come to be verified.Zambia ia is waitng to hear ths interestng case tht has been blockd thru restraining by suposedly acused though not yet proven guilty.Quiet interestng!
Who is this Judge Albert Wood? Don’t you have photos of this man?
He’s a lozi man of mixed race.
Waiter ! Bring me Mosi na pi !
We already read that crap in Imakandoz Post. Say some else new.
Tomrrow that will be hedlines in Imakandoz Post. Just pay back DBZ k18b loan Mambala iwe.
I NOW GET IT; CRIMINALS HAVE GANGED UP; I was retrieved from involvement in the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ) versus Post Newspapers Limited, JCN Holdings Limited and Mutembo Nchito; POOR CITIZENS TABAKWETE ISUKULU ON DEMOCRACY AND MAFIAS BEHIND JUDGE CHIKOPO.
Kwena ths is busakala ka mmembe naka nchito Zambians want their money back, not ths nonsens u v started so mulemona ati people are stupid? U Want to hide behnd ths fool of ur Judge fyoto. wu do u want to manipulate u thieves?! Ati tribunal…ifyabupuba ths government stinks.
you are right it’s all about politics, and nothing else
The ultimate goal of this tribunal is to get Mmembe and Nchito off the hook for the K14bn……everyone and everything else is just collateral damage!
The article is too long ba LT
Cant you summarize for me please??
I am sick and tired of reading long things.
Yah, I am curious. Some Indians are good at law and In Zambia we do have Indians. What do they do apart from utuntemba? Indians please, Zambia needs your services in law, doctors and prostitution. Many Zambians would like to ask an Indian girl or guy out.
KOma waligomauka iwe! Awe wansekesha mwe!
this tribunal thing is a sham. denis wood is A PF cadre and he is the 1st to testify. these are professional differences among judges and the judicial service commission would have handled these matters. Sata is being used by nchito and mhembe but he doesnt realise it. what is wrong with asking someone to recluse one self in a matter where they had interest, real or perceived?
I think I love this! If this is what we were going to miss without the Chikopa tribunal then count me out of those who were objecting to it. And I demand all the accused judge s turn up. No resignations. We need to hear the truth about our corrupt judiciary and about Mmembe and Nchito. The fireworks have begun
Bring it on!!
Judge Kajimanga was deputy Judge in charge isn’t it? If he had any slightest suspicion that Judge Wood had even the most slightest interest in the cases in question, he had authority to retrieve the cases. Now what’s wrong with that folks? How does that become an offense?
I advise people to watch this tribunal very carefully. Its like its mission is to distort, twist and turn things round. A lie becomes the truth and the truth becomes a lie. There are hard core mafioso at work here!
The other question which judge Wood need to answer is whether he was friends and he’d worked with Sangwa and Simeza the lawyers representing many of his case?Why was Simeza upset when Judge wood was taken off from the cases he has outlined?
Which re mafios ci puba iwe?A person resigning fearing investgation or those ready to face clearance by the court?Whch way out ve taken leave of yr senses & judgment?Face the courts show tht Wood is is PF or whtever u perceive Membe is defendng!Now here is a person runing away frm courts & u expect pointng fingers tht u re wrongly acused by nchito & membe.Kamani go to court & similarly complaint.Now u resign vima others putng court injuctions for wht?Why tulo tulo so! Go to court evn those injuctions squash them mediocre.Prove tht Wood is pf!
There is no hiding place crooked ra.ts. We want to who sent them
Now mr. Woods, u r producing allegations against stay proceedings(judges mutuna and kajimanga) until u suppose bring allegations against jdg musonda? I thought as a judge understand these things? Sorry, forgot u r a PF ‘judge’. As for mr ‘chikopo’, I m mau-less, u have no integrity at all.
In spite of the well articulated advice from Professor Muna Ndulo on the ugly head of “Executive Supremacy” emerging in Zambia, Judge Wood has exposed himself as a ‘PF MOLE’ planted in the Judicial system. Judge Chikopa is an established “economic mercenary” geared to milk our tax payers money.
We know who is behind all this. Mumembe having a good time indeed.
Forget going to court because people like the Mmembes, Nchitos, and other PF manipulators have the money and twisted powers to “WIN” the case somehow. Therefore, if your hearts are sore like mine is, avoid the long road to court. The answer to all the heart ache is to just hire a Lebanese mercenary to “take out” these problems in our society once and for all !
Musonda and friends should come and testify as well. Why running away from the tribunal? I think they know well what they have done. Come guys and testify , Zambians want to know if Woods is corrupt or its you who were corrupt.
Peace and prosperity to Mother Zambia.
A wood is the culprit for not recusing himself on cases he had an interest in. So this is why we have kerfafle in Zambia? Mathani the Michael Mann of Zambia does it again.
Judge Wood, wat kind of wood is this, nyantana?
This Judge Wood appears to be independent and even cites that another judge was wrong for supporting a current government affiliate. Zambians must learn from him that you lose absolutely nothing by being objective!
The watchdog, where are you? Cat got your tongue? Nchito was squeezed by RB and Dora Siliti after getting loan from DBZ. RB ordered Govt organs not to give business to Zambian Airways and Post. Siliti got upset because Nchito did not give her shares in Zambian Airways, she ordered National Airports which was chaired by MMD cadre Musakanya to get the Airport tax immediately. That is now what triggered the closure of Zambian Airways and then RB ordered DBZ to call in their loan for non payment! Simple, straight forward! Abash corrupt MMD!
Does it mean that all this is because of Fred m’membe and company? its so interesting…..anyway life pa zed goes on. To my fellow bloggers, what has happen to Zambian watchdog?????
As suspected, its about 14BN DBZ Loan… May be Wood shud also be suspended for misconduct.Kaji pointed a finger at Wood and Wood is pointing fingers at Kaji, Y has one stayed?
Good question; why was Wood not sited as well? Double standards by Sata and his goons.
So judge Wood supports this illegal tribunal headed by one Chikopo. I can see that this thing was well crafted – keep Chief Injustice Lombe Chibesakunda so that there is an acquital on the DBZ K18.00 billion owed by Judge Wood’s friends. Even Matibini is twisting parliament to skew it towards the PF.
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