Luonde: There’s No Judiciary In Zambia

ANGLICAN priest Fr Richard Luonde says there is no judiciary in Zambia to talk about anymore.

In an interview, Fr Luonde said the judiciary had failed to live up to people’s expectations.
In a statement issued last Sunday on the current political situation in the country, Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops said the judiciary had failed to do much for Zambians.
Unfortunately, the Judiciary, the arm of government responsible for adjudicating between individuals and between institutions and delivering justice didn’t do much, if anything, to engender a mutually acceptable solution,
said Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops president Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu.

And Fr Luonde said what was happening in the judiciary was shameful.

He said the manner in which The Post liquidation matter had been handled was a good example.
“What everyone is saying about The Post is true. Everything this government is doing will backfire. I don’t know what has happened to our judicial system because even a person like me, who is not that conversant with the law, when matters are before the courts of law, you cannot do what this government is doing to The Post. Issues to do with the selling of assets cannot be done until those issues before the courts of law are concluded. Nothing should have happened to The Post assets until all matters were dealt with. But now, you begin to wonder what the judiciary is there for. I want to find out from the Chief Justice how law is being interpreted,” Fr Luonde said.
“I said after Easter, I am going to demonstrate at the Chief Justice’s office because today in Zambia, no one is safe, even the Chief Justice herself. Once she is removed from office, if it will be done by this government, she will be in for it. The application of law is no longer there in this country. What is happening is that those in State House and close to President Lungu are doing things their way, which is dictatorship. Dictators think they have the law in their armpits forgetting that dictators have never been there forever. Dictators have not succeeded in this world. That is why this judge Sunday Nkonde is even quiet because he knows that he is protected. But for how long will that protection last?”
He said the selling of Post assets will not take them anywhere, adding that it was criminal.
No one supports crime. The Post has not yet been found guilty of having failed to pay the so-called taxes to ZRA. They took the issues to court and these issues are before the courts. Where is justice here? It clearly shows that they have failed to find anything wrong with The Post. They do not want to wait for proper adjudication because they know that The Post has been treated so unfairly. But this is just temporary. Even some PF members now are beginning to realise that what they thought was genuine is not. We all know that one day The Post will be vindicated because this issue is all about hatred,
said Fr Luonde.
“If this issue was not about hatred, procedure would have been followed. We all know that The Post was ready to pay what they owed the government.”

Post provisional liquidator Lewis Mosho, with Robert Chabinga, without a court order, auctioned Post assets under heavy security.

Mosho’s eligibility as provisional liquidator has been challenged by shareholder Dr Fred M’membe, who has also questioned the suitability of judge Sunday Nkonde to hear the Post liquidation case when in 2011, he brought up a matter seeking to close down the newspaper.

Dr M’membe complained to the judge-in-charge of the High Court Mwinde Siavwapa and the Chief Justice Irene Mambilima, including the Judicial Complaints Commission, but has not received any response.

The veteran journalist has not been heard, with judge Nkonde nearly only giving Mosho all his applications ex parte.