Justice Minister Given Lubinda said it was heartbreaking to see the large numbers of remandees overcrowded in Zambia’s correctional facilities due to delays in case disposals.
Mr Lubinda said about 4, 345 inmates awaiting convictions were still languishing in correctional facilities across the country.
He said this during the launch of the legal services unit at the Livingstone magistrate’s court yesterday.
He said the launch was taking place at a very critical moment when the demand for legal services in the country was ever increasing.
“Zambians are becoming not only more and more aware of their human rights, but more so demanding that these rights are protected. Unless people know their rights and demand the protection thereof, you cannot expect high levels of development,” Mr Lubinda said.
He expressed sadness that the Judiciary in the country was perceived to be an arm of Government that only benefited the rich in society.
“The fortunate people in our society who can afford to pay legal fees have their cases handled quicker than those of our brothers and sisters who are less fortunate and cannot afford legal fees. But I must state here that the Government of President Edgar Lungu is determined to reverse this trend in the dispensation of justice to all.
“It is for this reason that the Government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Union to support various initiatives and innovations in enhancing the efficiency of the justice system,” he said.
The Justice Minister said the creation of the legal Services Unit would undoubtedly help to improve efficiency in the justice sector and will accord the poor and vulnerable people to access justice more easily.
Mr Lubinda said many citizens in the country were upset with arsonists who are burning down courts of law across the country.
“Many citizens are upset with the arsonists but I can assure them that the law will soon catch up with them and I appeal to peace-loving Zambians to be on the lookout for these arsonists,” he said.
Livingstone Chief resident magistrate Willie Sinyangwe said the launch of the Legal Services Unit was meant for the vulnerable in society who could not afford to pay legal fees but would have access to legal services free of charge.
Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) Board chairperson Mabvuto Sakala said his organisation was working closely with other stakeholders in addressing issues of overcrowding in correctional facilities.
Legal Aid Board director Anderson Ngulube said his organisation would endeavour to make sure that citizens had access to justice and legal representation.
This backlog of court cases is self made by the judges,due to unnecessary and ill timed adjournments of cases and only God knows why they do that, a simple example is a situation where a high court judge asked asked to recuse himself from handling a case, what does he do, he decides to adjourn and gives a period of one month just to go think about that, then comes back and says he can’t recuse himself, another judge decides to give himself six days to go and study simple preliminary issues raised, then you had concourt judges who didn’t know when to start or stop, because of their decision, more cases have popped up in the courts because of their indecisiveness. Most backlog it’s due to the judges themselves, simple cases like stealing a cell, do you really need to go study such a…
First of all Given Lubinda is not qualified to be Minister of Justice and secondly here is what the Catholic Bishos have observed about our judiciary……It is an open secret that the Judiciary have let the country down by failing to stand up to political manipulation and corruption. How can one explain the failure of the Constitutional Court to hear and exhaustively conclude a presidential petition? We reiterate what we said before: “For some time now, there has been a persistent discourse on the state of the judiciary in Zambia with respect to its independence and impartiality. This situation has undermined public confidence in this institution. There is need to restore confidence in this important arm of Government. There are also many unresolved questions of public interest that have…
One thing for sure is that the Judiciary is no longer part of govt but another an odd PF. Right from the Chief Justice who put Lungu into State House on two occasions, to ConCourt judges who did not do an honest day’s work only to refuse to give a verdict on the Presidential petition. The PF Judiciary is corrupt. That’s why the judiciary is collapsing.
… another arm of PF….
Mr Lubinda, like all your colleagues in your party. Please provide solutions, you cant be yapping for life and expect results, I am your fan and advising in good faith. We have one of the most incompetent judiciarys in the world and I am very well travelled. That place requires a complete over haul. Its not memoranda that is going to help, it is the bringing in of complete new people please!
Any excuse to not have the petition heard
This judiciary is indeed in comatose, appeal cases to the supreme court take as long as five years to be heard even when they are 13 judges, one wonders what they do everyday and yet political cases like petitions including ond for given lubinda was heard and disposed off within 90 days.The judiciary is indeed for the elite and for as long as it remains in its current state, the public will continue to have zero confidence in the institution.
JUDICIARY IS DEMOCRACY JUDICIARY IS DEMOCRACY JUDICIARY IS DEMOCRACY JUDICIARY IS DEMOCRACY JUDICIARY IS DEMOCRACY SOME JUDGEMENTS ARE TAKING PLACE FASTER LIKE MEMBES CASE PETITION CASE IS SLOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLETED BEFORE SWEARING NEW PRESIDENT DEMOCRACY IS JUDICIARY. SHAME TO SOME OF THE JUDGES YOU ARE CASED FOR DEADS.
Where did we get this bunch of illiterates masquerading as ministers????
PF amazes me. You can reduce the number of cases by not arresting people anyhow