The United Party for National Development (UPND) provincial leadership in Southern Province has vowed to support President Rupiah Banda during next year’s elections if the UPND- PF pact decided to float Patriotic Front President Michael Sata in next years elections.

Speaking to ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka yesterday some UPND provincial leaders who refused to be named said they were not happy with what was going on in the pact.

They advised UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema not to deceive himself by thinking that UPND members would vote for Mr. Sata if Mr. Hichilema was not picked as pact president.

And Southern Province Minister Daniel Munkombwe has disclosed that UPND members are resigning from the party in massive numbers due to the fire that has engulfed their party.

Mr Munkombwe said the people of Southern province have now realized that the PF/UPND pact was a burning house and that members were scampering to other parties for fear of being burnt.

He said the MMD in the province was encouraging their former members to rejoin the party they once belonged to before the formation of UPND.

“No one can stay in a burning house. The UPND-PF pact is burning and some Members from the UPND are resigning in massive numbers rejoining the ruling Party. This can be evidenced from the large number of people who attended the Vice President George Kunda’s rallies in the province over the weekend” Mr Munkombwe said.

The provincial minister said all those UPND members who were still pondering to leave their party should just resign and join the working MMD government and support President Banda during the forthcoming general elections.

He said before the end of the year, the Pact would crumble and called on the UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema to leave the pact and work with MMD government for the benefit of the Zambian people.

Due to the reported wrangles that have besieged the pact, UPND has since formed a committee which is going to look into the issues regarding the pact impasse with their partner Patriotic Front (PF)

The party’s National Management Committee recently held an urgent meeting where some party members allegedly asked the party leadership to abandon the pact.

ZANIS

The office of the second republican president Dr. Frederick Chiluba said that it feels vindicated over the London court Judgment.

Dr. Chiluba’s spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba has also said that it is not right for the people of Zambia to start blaming the Zambian judiciary for the country.

Mr. Mwamba stated that the judiciary should be respected as they have operated in a dignified manner. He also said that it is not right to call the second Republican President a thief when he has been proved otherwise by the Zambian courts of law.

Featuring on Monday Nite Live Last evening. Mr. Mwamba stated that Dr. Chiluba should be respected as a Former Head of State.

And Mr. Mwamba has blamed the Zambian media for failing to explain to the Zambian people on the true account that led to Dr. Chiluba to be tried by the London court.

A Zambian High Court on Friday ruled that the London Judgment involving former president Fredrick Chiluba cannot be registered and therefore enforced in Zambia.

A London High Court judgment delivered by Judge Peter Smith in 2007 froze Chiluba’s pension and two properties in Ndola and also found him and others liable of defrauding the Zambian government of about US$46 million.

Zambia’s Attorney General commenced civil proceedings in the London High Court against Chiluba and others to recover monies that were allegedly stolen using bank accounts hosted in London.

QFM

Alliance for Democracy and Development(ADD) President Charles Milupi has denied media reports insinuating that his party has been approached by the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) for the position of Vice President .

Mr Milupi was reacting to some unconfirmed information from some section of the media alleging that the ruling party is considering appointing him as Vice President ahead of the 2011 tripartite elections.

Mr Milupi who is also Luena Member of Parliament told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that information circulating in some sections of the media that he was being considered for the position of Vice President in the MMD government was just rumors because nothing of that sort has been discussed with the MMD.

He said his party was currently just working on consolidating itself.

The ADD leader however, said if approached, his party would be able to about the matter with the ruling MMD.

Mr. Milupi said currently, ADD would continue working on its agenda of consolidating and promoting it’s manifesto ahead of next years’ elections.

“Those are just rumors. As far as am concerned, the ADD has not been approached by any political party for the position of Vice President. When approached, the party would then be able to give its’ position over the same matter ” ,Mr Milipi said.

He said as for now, his party would not respond to rumors but would continue working hard to sell and promote itself to the electorates.

Recently, some sections of the media alleged that the ADD president was being considered for the position of Vice President by the ruling MMD ahead of the 2011 elections.

ZANIS

Chief Justice Ernest Sakala has appealed to judges to continue performing their functions with utmost diligence and dignity, despite being attacked by the public in the course of dispensation of justice.

The Chief Justice was speaking at Livingstone’s Zambezi Sun Hotel during the official opening of a training workshop for Judges of the Supreme Court, High Court and the Industrial Relations Court, organized by the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) in conjunction with the Zambia Association of Women Judges (ZAWJ).

Chief Justice Sakala said there was an increase in Public scrutiny, with regard to the quality of work executed by adjudicators and that at times the judiciary has come under scathing attack for making justified decisions.

Chief Justice Sakala said the Zambian public, increasingly expects well skilled and informed adjudicators who are committed to dispensing equal justice, in accordance with the rule of law.

The chief Justice further said, the standards for the adjudicators’ bar have been raised and called for workshops to keep abreast with the latest best practices.

He said the judiciary would always ensure that adjudicators measured up to the expected standards of performance by empowering them with skills to enable them effectively deal with international treaties at domestic level, especially those to which Zambia is a signatory.

[pullquote]Chief Justice Sakala said there was an increase in Public scrutiny, with regard to the quality of work executed by adjudicators and that at times the judiciary has come under scathing attack for making justified decisions.[/pullquote]

The Chief Justice further called upon the adjudicators to uphold the oaths they took at the time of their appointment to the bench, in keeping with the dignity, demands and responsibilities of the judicial office.

Chief Justice Sakala expressed worry that there was a sharp rise in defilement cases, despite the harsh sentences handed out to the perpetrators.

He requested the Zambia Association of Women Judges to consider conducting a study on defilement, as a way of helping to find a lasting solution to the scourge.

ZANIS

Former Patriotic Front (PF) Southern Province coordinator Opper Hamiyanze has said PF vice-president Guy Scott’s negative comments on United Party for National Development’s (UPND) loss in the Luena by-election is a sign of lack of confidence in the pact.

And Mr Hamiyanze has revealed that UPND youths in Monze were planning to ditch the party to join the ruling MMD because they were disappointed with their leader, Hakainde Hichilema’s insistence to stay in the pact.

Mr Hamiyanze said the confusion in the pact was visible to everyone as confirmed by Dr Scott’s remarks.

Dr Scott had alluded to the fact that his party scooped the Chifubu parliamentary by-election seat single-handedly which Mr Hamiyanze said sent the message that the PF was more popular than the UPND.

Mr Hamiyanze said in an interview in Lusaka that the confusion in the pact was anticipated and justified and that it could not work.

“The comments by Dr Scott shows that there is confusion in the pact and it was highly anticipated from the beginning. Mr Sata cannot work with HH because both are greedy. The best that the two leaders can do now is to agree to break up because they will not be able to work together,” he said.

He said Zambians had lost trust in the pact because of its lack of commitment and focus for the betterment of all Zambians.

“The two leaders don’t offer solutions to the problems of the country but only want to enrich themselves,” he said.

He said the MMD had remained on track in the quest to achieve various developmental targets especially in reducing poverty.

He challenged Dr Scott to check his party’s performance in the Kaoma and Chadiza ward by-elections where they lost to the MMD.

He said Dr Scott who is Lusaka Central Member of Parliament had failed to deliver in his constituency.

“He is more vulnerable because even with the CDF funds the opposition MP has failed to perform let alone to account for the use of the funds and he will lose his seat next year,” he said.

On the Monze youths, he said the youths want to leave the UPND and had decided to join the MMD because Mr Hichilema has failed them, and that they would seek an audience with Vice-President, George Kunda.

[ Times of Zambia ]

LUSAKA lawyer Sakwiba Sikota has backed the High Court judgment that dismissed actions by the Attorney General to register and enforce the London High Court ruling that found second president Frederick Chiluba and seven others guilty of corruption involving US$46 million.

Mr Sikota said the judgment was accurate and premised on the proper interpretation of the law regarding reciprocal arrangements with other countries.

He said it was not possible for Zambia to register and enforce any foreign judgment in the absence of the law to support such an action.

Mr Sikota said there was lack of a reciprocal arrangement between Zambia and other countries that allow for legal action against individuals or institutions that were resident in other countries.

The reciprocal agreement between countries allows residents to seek litigation against people in other countries affordably and that one can obtain a judgment and register it in the country where the accused person or firm is based.

Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) president Stephen Lungu said he was still in the process of studying the judgment before he can comment.

On Friday, Lusaka High Court Judge Evans Hamaundu threw out a case that would have forced Dr Chiluba to repay the Government after a British court found him guilty of corruption.
[pullquote]
Mr Sikota said the judgment was accurate and premised on the proper interpretation of the law regarding reciprocal arrangements with other countries.[/pullquote]

Mr Justice Hamaundu ruled that a 2007 civil court ruling in London that Dr Chiluba stole $46 million in public funds during his 1991-2002 presidency could not be registered in Zambia because there was no statute to support the action.

“The question of enforcing the judgment of the courts of the United Kingdom directly by registration under the Act does not arise,” Mr Hamaundu said in his ruling. “I have looked through our laws for such an order and have been unable to find any.”

The Zambian Government has struggled to enforce the London High Court judgment through the Taskforce on Corruption that has since been dissolved.

Dr Chiluba and seven co-accused argued that the ruling could not be enforced in Zambia which was a sovereign state with its own judicial system.

In 2008, the court acquitted Dr Chiluba, who is currently in South Africa for medical reviews of stealing $500,000 in public funds.

He was accused of theft and corruption alongside former ministry of Finance permament secretary Stella Chibanda, former Zambian Ambassador to the United States Attan Shansonga, former Access Financial Services directors Aaron Chungu and Faustin Kabwe. Others were Francis Kaunda and Ireen Kabwe.

[pullquote]“The question of enforcing the judgment of the courts of the United Kingdom directly by registration under the Act does not arise,” Mr Hamaundu said in his ruling. “I have looked through our laws for such an order and have been unable to find any.”[/pullquote]

The State, through the attorney general had contested that the matter be registered in Zambia under the Foreign Judgments Reciprocal Enforcement Act, cap 76 of the Laws of Zambia and the order was granted on July 9, 2007.

Late High Court Judge Japhet Banda had granted the order but Dr Chiluba contested the action on grounds that Zambia was a sovereign nation and that only the Zambian court had the jurisdiction to hear cases involving its citizens.

He also challenged the action because legal costs would be cheaper in Zambia than in the United Kingdom and that since he and his co-accused were alleged to have breached the Zambian laws, the Zambian judicial system was best suited to interpret the laws.

Dr Chiluba argued that witnesses in both criminal and civil trials were based in Zambia. He said Zambia was a country with the most real and substantial claim because that is where the alleged frauds and conspiracies originated from.

[Times of Zambia]

VICE-PRESIDENT George Kunda has said the pact between the Patriotic Front and the United Party for Development (UPND) has been dealt a deathblow by sustained attacks by the PF leadership on the UPND.
Mr Kunda said PF president Michael Sata has adversely affected the UPND, which is now facing popularity problems in Southern Province.

He has called on UPND members in Southern Province to join the MMD as their party was on the brink of collapse following the spate of attacks on the UPND president Hakainde Hichilema and his party.

Mr Kunda said UPND members were former members of the MMD and that the ruling party is willing to take them back.
Mr Kunda said this soon after he arrived at the Choma airstrip yesterday to attend centenary celebrations at the Anglican Church in Mapanza area.

Minister of Labour Austin Liato, Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting Angela Cifire, deputy minister of agriculture Allan Mbewe, MMD deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu and Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe accompanied Mr Kunda.
Mr Kunda said he is in Southern Province to attend centenary celebrations of the Anglican Church in Mapanza and to inspect developmental projects as well as re-organise the MMD.

He said the Mr Hichilema should have heeded the advice of traditional leaders in the province against getting into a marriage of convenience with Mr Sata.
“Mr Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND are having serious problems. We were advising Mr Hichilema against entering into a pact with Michael Sata,” he said.

He said Mr Hichilema is now politically stressed and that even some newspapers, which had seemingly favoured him, had abandoned him and are now building the PF and Mr Sata’s political image.
Mr Kunda said the MMD will take advantage of the imminent collapse of the UPND to strengthen its structures across the country.

“For us in MMD, it is now our time to appeal to the UPND members that they come back to the MMD, a party which has a future. I know you just left but now it is time for you to come back and join hands and work with the MMD,” he said

He said the MMD would not just focus on its political strength in Southern Province but also dwell on development.

“The MMD has performed very well, and while others are just politicking, we are focusing on development. Hospitals, roads and other economic infrastructure have been put up in Southern Province by the MMD government,” Mr Kunda said.

Mr Munkombwe said the people of the province are grateful because of the interest the MMD government has in developing the region.

Later, Mr Kunda paid a courtesy call on Chief Mapanza, who expressed gratitude to the government for constructing the Choma-Namwala road, saying the decision will help enhance development.
Chief Mapanza said the people of Choma and Namwala are grateful that the politically controversial Choma-Chitongo road has finally been tarred.

Chief Mapanza said the tarring of the Choma-Chitongo will enhance the economic development of the area.
The traditional leader paid tribute to Government for ensuring that the Choma-Chitongo road is completed to ease communication problems.

Mr Kunda commended the chief for recognising Government’s efforts in developing Southern Province and Zambia as a whole.

[Zambia Daily Mail]