The justice minister Wynter Kabimba has denied he was creating an environment where justice will only favour Patriotic Front (PF) members in Zambia.
Debating the 2013 budget for his ministry in parliament, Kabimba said he was amazed at the accusations from opposition Members of Parliament that the ruling party was arm twisting the judiciary.
Mid this year, President Sata forced the resignation of Chief Justice Ernest Sakala and his deputy Dennis Chirwa in a bid to save his political allies Post Newspaper owner Fred M’membe and director of public prosecutions Mutembo Nchito.
This was after three judges – Nigel Mutuna, Charles Kajimanga and Phillip Musonda – were suspended following judgment in a civil case that found M’membe and Nchito in compromised business deals that cost the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ) over K18 billion.
To protect M’membe and Mutembo, President Sata fired three judges but the matter is now pending before the Supreme Court where an acting Chief Justice Lombe Chibesakunda is related to Sata while her deputy Florence Mumba has a peculiar relationship with the defendants.
But Kabimba claimed that President Sata and himself have on several occasions given leeway for institutions such as the police service to operate with impartiality regardless of any political affiliations for offenders.
Kabimba also refuted assertions that the K115 billion that was allocated to the Technical Committee on the Constitution making process was merely spent as allowances to government officers and members of the technical committee.
He the money was spent on the consultative process from the community to the national level on the new constitution.
He said the money was also used to print the draft constitution in seven vernacular language, in brail, sign language and DVDs.
The members of parliament quizzed Kabimba to explain how the money allocated to the technical committee reviewing the constitution will be used when it is becoming clearer that the PF government will fail to deliver a people driven constitution.