Mulongoti compromising courts’ independence

Fri, 30 Dec 2016 13:56:03 +0000

By Oscar Malipenga

MIKE Mulongoti is compromising the independence of the courts of law by asking why President Edgar Lungu is still keeping Commerce Minister Margret Mwanakatwe and Higher Education Minister Prof. Nkandu Luo as cabinet ministers because their cases are active in the Constitutional Court, Patriotic Front (PF) lawyer Tutwa Ngulube has said.

Mr Ngulube, who is Kabwe Central Patriotic Front (PF) Member of Parliament, said the matter which Mr Mulongoti commented on was currently before the Constitutional Court.

“When the matter is in court, we have to wait for the outcome. Mr Mulongoti’s comments are contemptuous. It is contempt of court for Mr Mulongoti to start commenting on those matters,” he said.

Mr Ngulube said in other words Mr Mulongoti was telling the courts what to do or was actually trying to suggest that the PF had already lost the case.

He said Mr Mulongoti was trying to compromise the independence of the court and warned him that his comments were tantamount to contempt of court.

“…and it may land him in problems if he continues commenting on matters that were already in the courts of law,” Mr Ngulube said.

Mr Ngulube said both Prof. Luo and Ms Mwanakatwe’s cases were still active in court.

He said the Constitutional Court had not said Mwanakatwe or Luo should vacate.

“Tell him (Mulongoti) that he is actually in contempt. He is not competent to make comments on matters of this nature. He is not a lawyer. He does not understand.

He advised Mr Mulongoti to consider going back to UNZA and finish his course so that he could have knowledge to comment on such matters.

“Mr Mulongoti does not understand law because he failed in his class. So if he thinks he has so much knowledge, let him go back to the school of law and pass then he can go to ZIALE to become a lawyer.

“That is when we can actually hear him speak. Otherwise, this is not a political issue for anyone to comment on,” Mr Mulongoti said.