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Chikopa Should Recuse Himself – Changala

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lovemore-chikopa-zambia-reportsHuman rights activist Brebner Changala has asked Malawian Judge Chikopa to consider recusing himself on moral grounds from chairing a controversial tribunal whose clear agenda is to satisfy the demands of President Michael Sata and his two key allies.

Changala says that President Sata must be reminded that Judge Chikopa’s controversial tribunal would haunt him for the rest of his life, and this is one matter that would follow him to his grave. Speaking in Lusaka during an interview, Changala said the people of Zambia had wholesomely condemned and rejected the tribunal from proceeding.

“In whose interest is this tribunal being done? This tribunal was set up to serve the interest of a very small elite and well connected group of people who have for a long time now tried to usurp state power from every successive president to date,” he said.

The tribunal was made possible following a narrow ruling from the Supreme Court which advised against the formation of the body, but ultimately granted the president powers to move forward. The three dissenting votes on the Supreme Court argued that there already existed a forum to respond to allegations of misconduct under the judicial complaints board. Members of the opposition have pointed out that the tribunal appears to be targeting for removal two judges and one justice who ruled on the matter of a debt owed by newspaper editor Fred M’membe and public prosecutor Mutembo Nchito, who are both close allies of the president.

Changala said the main complainants in the Judge Chikopa tribunal were the same people who were behind the 2003 tribunal that was established by late president Mwanawasa over the late former director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mukelabai Mukelabai.

The former DPP was accused by Post Newspaper owner Fred M’membe and current DPP Mutembo Nchito when he was chief prosecutor at the Task Force of Corruption that he had connived with suspects such as former Intelligence chief Xavier Chungu and late former president Frederick Chiluba to subvert the course of justice.

“The DPP was cleared by the tribunal, which was chaired by Judge Phillip Musonda who today has to pay for his dues. This elite group has never rested because after Mukelabai, then came DPP Chalwe Muchenga who was abused and humiliated after entering a nolle prosequi in the Kashiwa Bulaya corruption case but he withstood the assault from the same elite and when the Patrotic Front (PF) won the elections, Chalwe Muchenga was the first the first casualty,” he said.

Changala said the elite friends of Sata were behind the removal of Chief Justice Ernest Sakala and his deputy Judge Dennis Chirwa who was replaced by Judge Lombe Chibesakunda, who belongs to the elite team.

“They are behaving like a giant octopus with tentacles in all state institutions that include the presidency. Therefore, this tribunal has no reasonable benefit to the state of the nation and its people. It has only allowed the executive to destroy one of the pillars of good governance, the judiciary,” he said.

Changala said judges were now living in fear of being dismissed or humiliated at the behest of the executive.

He said ordinary citizens and those who are not friends with Sata were always insulted by the elite group whenever judgements went their favour.

“It is a very sad day for this young democracy that judge Chikopa who ate and dined with the executive and friends of the president for close t one year can come and preside over a controversial tribunal.

Chikopa must just recuse himself on moral grounds because the money he has been paid so far for doing nothing is more than enough. I also want to remind Sata that this matter will follow him up to the grave because it has not been done in national interest but to appease his friends and allies.

Changala said the Zambia judges who were working in fear must to remain resolute and brave like a wound soldier because all the right thinking Zambians were always praying for them because they were casualties of an evil scheme.

The post Chikopa Should Recuse Himself – Changala appeared first on Zambia Reports.


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