By KETRA KALUNGA and ADRIAN MWANZA
THE Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) should stop playing with the corruption fight campaign because the warning and cautioning of two High Court judges is questionable, Patriotic Front chairperson Davis Chama has said.
Mr Chama said the questioning of Justices Charles Kafunda and Joshua Banda was highly questionable as the charge interfering with witnesses was neither here nor there because the two had not yet been charged in a court of law.
The charge that the judges received K63,000 in bribes was enough to bring them to court, instead of allowing them to preside pending a judicial Complaints Commission decision.
“I seriously smell a rat in this matter and to be honest there is no way that two could have interfered with witnesses when there is no matter in court,” he said.
And former Defence Minister George Mpombo said the action from the ACC raises serious ethical and moral concerns.
Dr. Mpombo wondered why the encounter with the judges that took place in January was being made known to the nation now. “We have also seen opposition officials being driven in the cold of the night without legal presence to far flung areas where offences are alleged to have taken place therefore the action by ACC amounts to unacceptable double standard when applying the rule of law,” he said
Yesterday the ACC announced that they had warned and cautioned the two judges for alleged interference with witnesses during pending proceedings of the Judicial Complaints Commission (JCC).
ACC spokesperson, Queen Chibwe in a statement said they recorded warn and caution statements from the two judges for corrupt practices involving K63, 000 in January this year.
Ms. Chibwe said the two judges solicited for K130, 000 and received K63, 000 from David Mwanza as an inducement or reward for them to have charges against him by the Judiciary adjudicated in his favour.
She said Mr. Mwanza was a former Sheriff Officer in Solwezi under the Office of Sheriff Zambia and the matter was under investigations by the JCC.
“ACC earlier on in January this year, recorded a warn and caution statements from the two judges, for corrupt practices contrary to section 19 (1) of the AC Act No 3 of 2012 in the manner the two solicited for ZMW 130, 000 and actually received ZMW 63, 000 from Mr. David Mwanza as an inducement or reward for them to have charges against Mr. Mwanza by the Judiciary adjudicated in his favour,” Ms. Chibwe said.
