Thursday, March 28, 2024

Suspended 46 UPND MPs take their case to the Court of Appeal

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UPND MPs

THE suspended 46 United Party for National Development (UPND) parliamentarians have taken their application to the Court of Appeal challenging Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini’s decision to suspend them for 30 days.

This follows Lusaka High Court judge Petronella Ngulube’s recent decision to dismiss their application to declare their suspension by the Speaker null and void.

During the suspension period which ended yesterday, the opposition legislators were not paid salaries and allowances following their walking out of the House when President Lungu was delivering a state of the nation address on March 17 this year.

In their application, Nalikwanda member of Parliament (MP) Geoffrey Lungwangwa, suing on his own behalf and that of 45 MPs, is seeking a declaration that Dr Matibini’s decision to suspend them was illegal as he is not reposed with powers to do so.

Professor Lungwangwa has also argued that the Speaker did not follow the legal procedure when effecting the MPs’ suspension.

“It is contended that the decision of the Speaker to suspend the UPND MPs for 30 days is illegal as they were suspended for an offence of contempt which they were not initially charged with. The initial charge or warning the applicants faced was that of absenteeism from the House on 17th March, 2017.

“The applicants were never charged with the offence of contempt of the assembly. It is contended that absenteeism from the House is not the same as contempt of the assembly.’’

Their application in the Court of Appeal follows the decision by Ms Justice Ngulube to dismiss their application on grounds that there was no case fit for further investigation.

Ms Justice Ngulube dismissed all the grounds stemming from illegality, procedural impropriety, unreasonableness and irrationality.

“I wish to state that I am not satisfied that the applicants have any arguable case fit for further investigation. I am not persuaded to exercise my discretion in favour of the applicants,” she said.

On June 13 this year, Dr Matibini suspended the 46 MPs for 30 days for boycotting President Lungu’s state of the nation address.

34 COMMENTS

    • IT is painful not to have a salary for a month but not painful not to represent people or to do your jobs as expected… remember God will punish you for promising people and not serving them but getting there money for your salary and serving your interest.

    • Home Politics PF ‘R A P E’ HICHILEMA’S WIFE, KAIZAR ZULU INSTRUCTS POLICE
      PoliticsPFUPND
      ‘R A P E’ HICHILEMA’S WIFE, KAIZAR ZULU INSTRUCTS POLICE

    • Action Aid posted an important message that Banks are taking money out of the country using off-shore accounts – No PF stooge made a comment…! Thieving is the in thng with PF

    • Action Aid Acting Country Director Kijala Shako has expressed worry over tax evasion by some companies in Zambia’s financial sector.

      Speaking during a public discussion at Southern Sun Hotel today, Ms. Shako said once irregularities in taxation are controlled in the financial sector, the economy in Zambia will be stable, thus reduce cost of living.

  1. Since the UPNDonkeys are broke by now, I am offering them free advise. When you take a matter to an appeal court you should be challenging the decision of the lower court on the same matter. What you have done now is to take a different matter and it will be thrown out right in your ugly faces before it is even heard. The appeal court is for appeal and NOT for initiating new matters.

    Need any further proof that UPNDonkeys are real donkeys?

    • Zambians want food on the table, drugs in hospitals , education for their children and employement , not oppression.

    • I am not a Lawyer but I was also wondering. You mean your lawyers did not scrutinise the suspension letters before going to High Court? It looks like they have just discovered that the charge sheet and final verdict from Dr. Matibini are different!

    • PF Donkeys and PFMonkey eaters are stealing from the nation
      Action Aid Acting Country Director Kijala Shako has expressed worry over tax evasion by some companies in Zambia’s financial sector. Speaking during a public discussion at Southern Sun Hotel today, Ms. Shako said once irregularities in taxation are controlled in the financial sector, the economy in Zambia will be stable, thus reduce cost of living.

  2. I hope that they remain suspended or stay away from the House (without pay) until the matter is disposed of. And I hope when they lose the “appeal” they will be suspended without pay again for bringing the House into disrepute and for challenging the powers of the Speaker.
    Please donkeys join your incarcerated underfive donkey leader and stay away from public affairs for the rest of the term. We dont miss you, what have got to contribute anyway?

    • @Terribleha that my friend is not democracy! Democracy is treating your fellow compatriot the way you would want to be treated! In Zambia that’s why institutions are failing! We never do things for posterity! What a life!

  3. I can see that Dundumwezi is slowly turning around. The rest of the constituencies of the suspended Donkeys are slowly begin to miss representation in parliament due to the Donkey thinking of their MPs, I doubt that they will vote for this crop of Donkeys again.

  4. We are with you bana besu. Stay strong. I am in England here spreading our cause and getting funds needed for party mobilisation

  5. Instead of working and representing the people who elected them, they are busy chasing the wind – an extremely selfish bunch.

    • Action Aid Acting Country Director Kijala Shako has expressed worry over tax evasion by some companies in Zambia’s financial sector. Speaking during a public discussion at Southern Sun Hotel today, Ms. Shako said once irregularities in taxation are controlled in the financial sector, the economy in Zambia will be stable, thus reduce cost of living.

      Instead of working and creating jobs for the people who voted them PF are stealing from the nation

  6. so in short they want arrears…what a bunch of clowns..everyday in court even when the suspension has ended…USELESS

  7. @terrible at 3 thats a good one. Good advice. That was my thought too. These under5s are fond of presenting wrong cases and when they throw them out they begin crying that courts are corrupt. What you said is exactly what will happen. What are they appealing for anyway if all they’ve done is introduce something new.

  8. ACCEPT THE PUNISHMENT, SERVE AND MOVE ON. PEOPLE DIDNT VOTE FOR YOUR FOR YOUR POCKETS BUT TO REPRESENT THEM IN PARLIAMENT NOT OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT.

    • Action Aid Acting Country Director Kijala Shako has expressed worry over tax evasion by some companies in Zambia’s financial sector. Speaking during a public discussion at Southern Sun Hotel today, Ms. Shako said once irregularities in taxation are controlled in the financial sector, the economy in Zambia will be stable, thus reduce cost of living.

      BANKS ARE NOT BEING PUNISHED WHY?

    • Add thieving to PF
      Action Aid Acting Country Director Kijala Shako has expressed worry over tax evasion by some companies in Zambia’s financial sector. Speaking during a public discussion at Southern Sun Hotel today, Ms. Shako said once irregularities in taxation are controlled in the financial sector, the economy in Zambia will be stable, thus reduce cost of living.

  9. Its all about cash with these dodos. When serious issues on the constitution were being debated they ‘boycotted’ and went to sit at the motel to drink. They came back at the close of the sessions and their representative who was visibly drank admitted he had shots of whiskey and needed two more to fuel his energies. That is what has become of MPs. When their party decreed to boycott any session by the head of state they were warned and apologized. On the second time of reckoning only one MP defied the ban and came to listen to the HE. This is tantamount to contempt. Good luck with your applications

  10. During the independence struggle for Zimbabwe, a plane was shot down near the Kariba Dam. Joshua Nkhomo’s Zipra liberation movement claimed responsibility. But when it reported that the aeroplane was carrying school children from nearby Victoria town and all of them had perished, Nkhomo disassociated his group from this heinous act. That’s what upnd are doing. They promised us hell and now that it has come to pass they want to distance themselves from these acts.

  11. I pity my country Zambia how we landed ourselves with such kind of opposition which the only thing they know is going to court to challenge almost everything with no positive results. I cry for mother Zambia for ending up with such mediocre caliber of opposition law makers. What a shame and a disgrace for mother Zambia.

  12. Action Aid Acting Country Director Kijala Shako has expressed worry over tax evasion by some companies in Zambia’s financial sector.

    Speaking during a public discussion at Southern Sun Hotel today, Ms. Shako said once irregularities in taxation are controlled in the financial sector, the economy in Zambia will be stable, thus reduce cost of living.
    PF go after the thieves – be proactive and stop killing your own people

  13. Monkey eaters and killing the nation
    Action Aid Acting Country Director Kijala Shako has expressed worry over tax evasion by some companies in Zambia’s financial sector.

    Speaking during a public discussion at Southern Sun Hotel today, Ms. Shako said once irregularities in taxation are controlled in the financial sector, the economy in Zambia will be stable, thus reduce cost of living.

  14. Yes a country run buy cadres. Alliance for Community Action (ACA) Executive Director Laura Miti says it was illogical for President Edgar Lungu to base the Threatened State of Emergency declaration on the recent fires, instead of basing it on the lack of intolerance between the PF and UPND cadres.

    And Miti says President Lungu is not helping Zambians to get out of the election mode by consistently talking about Hakainde Hichilema’s election defeat whenever he is addressing the public.

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