Convicted Chifire Loses Right to Quash Contempt Case in High Court

Convicted anti-corruption crusader Gregory Chifire has suffered another setback with the Lusaka High Court throwing out his attempt to halt the contempt proceedings against him in the Supreme Court.

Chifire was sentenced to six years for contempt by the Supreme Court for articles he wrote about the Stanbic and Savenda but had moved a motion to halt proceedings in the Supreme Court on account that it violated his constitutional rights.

He sued the Attorney General seeking a declaration that the contempt proceedings against him were being conducted in breach of his Constitutional rights.

However the case has been dismissed by the High Court for want of jurisdiction.

Chifire who is also Director of Southern Africa Network against Corruption (SANAC) on May 10, 2018, wrote a letter to the Chief Justice in respect to the Supreme Court decision of the appeal case involving Savenda Management Services Limited and the Stanbic Bank of Zambia Limited.

The letter read in part, ” I submit to your office that this Supreme Court judgment has affected the delivery of justice system in Zambia and if the judgment is allowed to stand in view of the glaring omissions in the part of the Supreme Court it has a potential to inhibit justice and development of the jurisprudence”.

Chifire submitted that he was made aware of several publications he made in the Zambian Watchdog and The Mast among other publications.

He said that he was summoned for contempt and charged with four counts of contempt.

The Supreme Court justices testified in this matter.

Chifire was cited for contempt of court for his disparaging remarks on Justice Mambilima and the Judiciary after the disposal of the Stanbic Bank versus Savenda Case.

He had labelled Chief Justice Ireene Mambilima as being the most corrupt head of the judiciary in the country’s history.

In the Savenda’s Case the Supreme Court and the Appeals Court reversed the Lusaka High Court’s judgment that compelled Stanbic Bank to pay K192 million damages to Savenda Management Services Limited.

The Savenda case has left a trail of litigations with journalist Derrick Sinjela jailed for contempt while Bishop John Mambo awaits his verdict.