Former President Frederick Chiluba is saddened by people who want to bring the name of the judiciary in disrepute because the High Court has thrown out an application that sought to register a London High Court judgement which found him and seven others liable for theft of about US$46 million.

In an interview with the Sunday Mail, Dr Chiluba’s spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba said the former President welcomes the verdict by High Court Judge Evans Hamaundu, but is concerned with the innuendos directed at the judiciary.

Mr Mwamba said that it was strange that justice is only seen to been done if judgement is delivered in favour of certain people.

He lashed out at Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata, Transparency International-Zambia and Professor Muna Handulo who have reportedly condemned Judge Hamaundu’s ruling. He said attacks on Judge Hamaundu are disrespectful to the judiciary.

Mr Mwamba urged people who were insinuating that the state had a hand in the High Court decision to respect the judiciary because they too seek services of the court when they are in need.

“We welcome the decision of the court, but we are only sad that some people would like to bring the name of the judiciary into disrepute. Mr Sata himself has been acquitted by the courts, so why can’t he respect the decision of the court,” he said.

Mr Mwamba said it was unfortunate that some people celebrated Judge Peter Smith’s ruling in which he found Dr Chiluba and seven others guilty of theft of US$46 million, when the trial did not encompass principles of fair trial.

The others are Xavier Chungu, Attan Shansonga, Stella Chibanda, Aaron Chungu, Faustin Kabwe, Ireen Kabwe and Francis Kaunda.

Mr Mwamba said it was wrong for the State to proceed with criminal and civil proceedings against the former President at home and in London at the same time.
Mr Mwamba charged that the London trial was unfair because Dr Chiluba had been slapped with a travel ban and his passport had been confiscated due to criminal proceedings against him in Zambia.

He said even if Dr Chiluba had defended himself in the London case it could have prejudiced his case before the Zambian courts.

“The whole process was unfair because Dr Chiluba could not have attended trial in London because his passport had been confiscated. Remember there was a travel ban that was imposed on him,” Mr Mwamba said.

He said despite that Dr Chiluba had refused to acknowledge Judge Smith’s jurisdiction over him, and therefore refused to participate in the court proceedings.

“Dr Chiluba welcomes this judgement (Judge Hamaundu’s) because it upholds the fundamental principle of sovereignty and independence,” Mr Mwamba said.
He said the former President feels vindicated by Judge Hamaundu’s judgement because he had opposed the decision by the State to prosecute its citizens before a foreign court.

Judge Hamaundu threw out an application by the state to register a London High Court judgement which found Dr Chiluba and seven co-defendants guilty of stealing US$46 million through a Zamtrop account.

He said there was no legal provision that allows the direct registration of judgements obtained in superior courts of the United Kingdom court.
[ Zambia Daily mail ]

Nnational Democratic Focus(NDF) president Ben Mwila has described the opinion poll conducted by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on the viability of the pact as factual and urged the two parties in the Patriotic Front (PF) and United Party for National Developemnt (UPND) Pact to accept the outcome as true, failure to which they would be cheating themselves.

Mr Mwila said in an interview yesterday that it was now clear that the top leadership of the UPND were only bent on destroying Mr Hichilema’s political career with their insistence to belong to the pact even after the members of the PF had clearly stated that they would only support Mr Sata for the pact presidency.

He said it was sad that the top leadership in the UPND had deliberately failed to advise Mr Hichilema to leave the pact whose cracks were there for anyone to see.

“I can not see the reason why the UPND should continue imposing themselves on the leadership of the pact when their colleagues in the PF have clearly stated that they will only support Mr Sata,” he said.

Mr Mwila observed that members of the UPND were destroying Mr Hichilema’s political career by clinging on to the pact with the opposition Patriotic PF.

Leadership in Development (LID) director Moses Kalonde said the opinion poll over the pact was factual and that the two parties should ignore it at their own peril.

He said the CPD was a credible organisation whose findings had always proved to be true whenever it conducted an opinion poll.

Mr Kalonde also wondered why the UPND should insist on belonging to the pact when it was clear that the PF no longer even considered them to be their partners.

And former PF) secretary- general Edward Mumbi has asked the two opposition leaders to apologise to Zambians for deceiving the masses that they could work together when they just wanted to use each other for personal gains.

Commenting on the failure of the PF/UPND Pact, he said that Mr Sata wanted to use UPND Members of Parliament for his impeachment motion against President Banda that did not work.

He also alleged that Mr Sata wanted to use the UPND support base to get elected as a president but with the apparent crumbling of the pact, his plans had failed.

But when contacted UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma said as far as his party was concerned, it was the people of Zambia that called for the two opposition political parties to enter into a coalition saying the pact was still strong.

Mr Kakoma described all the comments as a strange analysis saying as far as the UPND was concerned, the pact was still strong.
[ Times of Zambia ]