The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has welcomed the six-year sentence meted out on Anti-corruption activist Gregory Chifire by the Supreme Court on Friday.
LAZ President Eddie Mwitwa said that the sentence sends a message that Zambians must not engage in unwarranted attacks that tarnish the image of the judiciary.
Mr. Mwitwa was speaking in a telephone interview with ZNBC News in Lusaka.
Mr. Mwitwa also observed that the Supreme Court judgment where Mr. Chifire was convicted indicated that the judiciary welcomed constructive criticism through the right fora.
Mr. Mwitwa has also welcomed the admonition by the Supreme Court Judges that lawyers must observe professional ethics when representing clients in the courts of law.
Mr. Mwitwa further upheld the observations by the judges that the media houses and personnel must be professional in handling court matters to avoid being cited for contempt of court.
Mr. Chifire who is also Director of Southern Africa Network Against Corruption (SANAC) was cited for contempt of court for his disparaging remarks on Justice Irene Mambilima and the Judiciary after the disposal of the STANBIC Bank Versus SAVENDA Case.
He was charged with four counts of contempt of court.
Deputy Chief Justice Marvin Mwanamwambwa, Supreme Court Judges Evans Hamaundu, Mumba Malila, and Rhoda Kaoma presided over the judgment.
LAZ also needs to disbar and disqualify Edgar Lungu for past misconduct.
Ba LT i need clarification urgently, did chifire attend the court proceedings? Because i saw one article referring to him as having responded to his conviction through Facebook, was he sentenced in absentia?
LAZ is full of PF cadres. At the last AGM, all positions were filled in by PF00Lish cadres to neutralize Linda Kasonde’s criticisms when she was LAZ president.
The 6 year sentence is illegal. Max for contempt is 2 years or a fine. Our rotten judiciary needs to be cleansed with JIK starting with that Kangaroo court called ConCourt down to local courts.
LAZ is full of PF cadres. At the last AGM, all positions were filled in by PF00Lish cadres to neutralize Linda Kasonde’s criticisms when she was LAZ president.
The 6 year sentence is illegal. Max for contempt is 2 years or a fine. Our rotten judiciary needs to be cleansed with JIK starting with that Kangaroo court called ConCourt down to local courts.
Maloza indeed! Now you have become a lawyer and judge? If its 2 years there, here its 6 and above. So be careful, lest you are cited too.
I have said it before and I will say it once more. You only need an IQ between 90 and 118 to graduate from college.
But all geniuses have IQs above 130 that’s why a lot of these so called Zambian intellectuals like Maloza, Gay Gay and Spaka who themselves are fellow college/university graduates here post some of the useless comments.
An average IQ for an average college professor is 118. That’s why a bunch of academicians are very good at theorizing stuff that they themselves don’t even practice.
The general populace of smart people of Zambian Enterprise is way ahead of the curve of the Zambian Intelligecia.
Lord have mercy on Chifire’s soul …
Meant to say “intelligentsia“ … sorry about that!!! Just in case some low libido, low IQ, low life, low class elite may start to attack my ichi inkubaule.
Your Hono … I rest my case!!!
Your Honor … I rest my case!!!
Autocorrect, akaso kwati Gay Gay … ala
Mwitwa all you lawyers are so psychologically insecure you want to threaten the entire nation by jailing freedom of speech. That’s why you wear white men’s wigs so you can obtain some confidence from wanting to be white. Not even in China do they sentence someone 6 years for contempt
Guys this is what I’ve been saying for so many years and that there is a disconnect between the legal practitioners and the general populace whereby lawyers, Court clerks, magistrates and judges would rather the Justice system remains archaic and repressive so as to ensure their status as your “Honour and worship” and “Learned Colleague’ which is nonsense in this day and age of free information and better respect for human rights. I cannot recall ever hearing of LAZ lobbying for a reform of the justice system in it’s passing of sentences, or for the decongesting of prisons by passing of more Community Service sentences and to allow for their introduction if there is no current legislature on them. A nation of 1diots killing themselves and their own future generation because they are…
If you dont stand for something ..you will fall for anything!!!
U are a disgrace!!!
Comment:waona manje, used and dumped like Daniel Munkombwe muselela kwakaba kujumpajumpa
I am wondering what interest Chifire had in the case because he is not an employee nor does he own shares in Savenda. How do you write to the CJ to reverse a judgment, that’s not the procedure to reverse judgments. Did Savenda not default on its loan obligations? When you borrow money care to read all the terms written in very small letters because they become big when you default
@Kapupwe
You are the one who is a disgrace. Well done judiciary for sending one big mouth to prison.
How do you vote down my first for simply seeking clarification? On Sunday sure as prepare to go to church , what kind of hate is this imwe Plastic Fake cadre.
Political guru
PhD in political science.
LAZ under Mwitwa is a failed institution. It is detached from the common man in the street and it’s interest is to eat with those in authority at the high table. No wonder I never in my dream think of joining those at the high table and leave the roots that I experienced when I was growing up in the komboni where everyone is a relative. Mwitwa and the group he has joined has made us realise that the rich will do anything to keep away the poor! But remember that days are numbered even for the king!
LAZ is also compromised by PF. I dont know how Zambia will redeem herself from the shackles of slow death by PF. All institutions are compromised. Even those responsible for counting and announcing elections are the most compromised. Including some of the opposition. The real opposition has been checkmated by these CAPTURES of all the strategic institutions. It is better to pack and watch.
Ministers have not paid back the money they earned illegally and that is contemptuous . Are they going to jail ? Ministers have raised two fingers at the constitutional court and LAZ are silent ? Why?
They are prepping for a push for a third term. Judiciary in their pockets, parastatals run like personal accounts, and a public intimidated by archaic interpretation of outdated laws. Used to be that colonial “masters” did this to our great grandparents. Now our very own do worse to us while developing the nation less than the colonial “masters” did. History will not remember you kindly bane.
Why are they not sueing or charging CK for calling the head of state a corrupt pompwe theif ????
Fear…You may open the Pandora box. Chi Kambwili has lots of irrefutable data
Laz is now on the path of irrelevance. Co – conspirators
What is the Law Association s comment on ministers that were told to pay back their illegal salaries? Is that not contempt of court?
. There is no charge called contempt of the President. The sentence is about disparaging the office of the chief justice and its judiciary. Upnd cadres too
There is no upright person who would tolerate being called everyday a corrupt pompwe theif in the media………
Useless ka ma organization the only thing they have ever done right was to debar the thriving
Lawyer who stole from a widow, that was before all these cadres joined this ka useless organization
Monkeys!!
What constitutes ‘Contempt of Court’ in Zambia? I thought this applied when a court case was still in progress so as not to unduly influence the court proceedings. In Chifire’s case, I thought he condemned the CJ and Supreme court ruling only after the court case had been decided. Is that still contempt? If so, does this not go contrary to freedom of speech? Is he not within is right to express an opinion no matter how flawed it might be? For me, this ruling leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and will unnecessarily embolden our already suspect judiciary into thinking they are above the law and there are no recriminations for their actions. What makes it worse in this case, as pointed out by Sinkamba, it is not like Chifire had other options open to him to voice his opinion as he was…
All concerned citizens need to challenge this especially with the way you have put it. Can’t a citizen comment on a ruling? The judiciary thinks it must bare its teeth on a citizen querying it’s decision. We’ll be a nation of scared mice like those Koreans
We miss the LAZ of the old.
Which old LAZ? Some of them are the same ones that sentenced Cifire, the truth is our Justice system just needs proper reform so that even you and me can confidently enter a court room without needing a crooked lawyer to interprete court procedures, we need more out of court settlements for civil cases, we need introduction of community service for minor misdeamnours as opposed to custodial sentences, this is what we need and can be obtained without a LAZ that is only out for the interests of its crooked membership whether they be pro PF or UPND most are just crooks by nature.
The difference between the current LAZ executive is that the last headed by madam Kasonde was political and based in favour of upnd but the current is professional and non partisan. That why you hear the noise from upnd cadres because they were used to the one sided LAZ under Madam Kasonde .
let me cite one example the the current LAZ under Mwitwa recently blander Lungu government as Autocracy or Doctor ship and the UPND cadre where very happy and praise him here. Just two weeks he have issued this factual statement about Ciffire suddenly they are compromised in the Eyes of the same people where we’re showering praises on him just two weeks ago. What a bunch of hypocrites.
Please get use to the current objective LAZ and move forward from Linda Kasonde Baby sitting or nursing of upnd.
Okay