PF MPs judicial review hearing deferred

By CHARLES MUSONDA
HEARING of an application for inter parte summons for leave to apply for judicial review by eight expelled Patriotic Front (PF) members of Parliament has been adjourned to Monday.
And the PF has charged that the arrest and subsequent “ill treatment” of former Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo by the police was premeditated.
The hearing was set for yesterday but the State applied for an adjournment on grounds that they had not yet received instructions from Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti to act for her.
Lawyer representing the MPs Makebi Zulu said in an interview after the adjournment that the State told a panel of Lusaka High Court Judges Gertrude Chawatama, Susan Wanjelani, and Mwila Kombe that they expected to receive instructions from Ms. Mutti yesterday.
Mr. Zulu said the affected MPs will have to wait for the hearing and ruling to know if they are supposed to attend Parliament and enjoy their privileges as they wait for determination of their appeals by the Constitutional Court.
The eight MPs include Bowman Lusambo, Lukas Simumba, Kalalwe Mukosa, Mutotwe Kafwaya, Taulo Chewe, Chibuye Christopher, Joseph Malanji and Allen Banda. Kasama Central MP Sibongile Mwamba, who is also affected by Ms. Mutti’s decision, is not party to the judicial review.
Meanwhile, leader of the opposition in the House Brian Mundubile says Mr. Kampyongo’s arrest was premeditated about three years ago according to videos the PF has, where people were instructed to include his name on the list of people accused of stoning a helicopter carrying then UPND national chairperson Mutale Nalumango, former First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa and others in Shiwangándu in 2015.
Mr. Mundubile, who is also PF Mporokoso MP, told journalists yesterday that it was not a question of whether or not Mr. Kampyongo was there, it was an instruction that he must be included on the list somewhere.
He said the treatment the Shiwangándu MP suffered at the hands of the police was unfortunate because of the manner in which they stopped his colleagues from seeing him at Chelston police station and drove him to Chinsali in the night like a common criminal.
“This is expected because our friends are bent on intimidating their political opponents. In their own wisdom they think by doing so the opposition will cow down and stop speaking. That is totally wrong because we were elected by the Zambian people and we will continue to represent them in our capacity as members of Parliament and we will also continue to exist as an opposition political party,” Mr. Mundubile said.
He said the UPND government should focus on delivering their promises and the route they have taken is not in response to what the people are expecting.
And PF chairperson for information and publicity committee Raphael Nakacinda said everything the former ruling party is experiencing, including yesterday’s court process, is as a result of the UPND ‘s alleged vindictiveness and hatred towards the party.
He said the PF believes that the only remaining conscience of society and the nation is the Judiciary and “we have faith in the Judiciary that they will rise to the occasion and make sure that our democracy is kept afloat…”