By KETRA KALUNGA
There is room to improve the rule of law if the legal requirement for procedural fairness is to strengthened and curb corruption, Socialist Party President, Fred Mmembe has said.
Mr Mmembe said there is potential to improve the rule of law if individuals dissatisfied with decisions made by people in authority could be challenge through the courts of law.
He said in an interview that transparency and accountability would improve once those in authority allow individuals that are dissatisfied with their decisions to be challenged.
‘’By strengthening the legal requirement for procedural fairness and ensuring that disaffected individuals can challenge such decisions through the courts, there is potential to improve transparency and accountability and curb corruption,’’ he said.
Mr. Mmembe also charged that the wide discretionary powers of those charged with the responsibility of fighting corruption and other crimes in the country could undermine their impartiality in applying the rule of law.
He said this would in turn result in decisions being made that are tainted by bias or have violated the due process of the rule of law.
Mr. Mmembe warned that such opportunities for illegal, improper, or unfair behaviour on the part of those charged with the responsibility to apply the rule of law might amount to corruption.
