Makebi playing politics in gold scandal – Haimbe

By NATION REPORTER 

JUSTICE Minister Mulambo Haimbe has accused one of Zambia’s renowned lawyer, Makebi Zulu of practicing politics using a law firm in the raging gold and cash scandal that has since sucked in some State House personnel.

Mr Haimbe said The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) should start being proactive on ethical issues, stating that the association could not allow a law firm allegedly politicking on national matters.

On Thursday last week, Makebi Zulu Advocates demanded that the State should immediately withdraw criminal charges against Shadrick Kasanda Kapasa, one of the suspects arrested in the country’s now infamous gold and cash scandal or the law firm would commence court proceedings that would expose some State House officials by naming and shaming them.

The law firm representing Mr Kasanda is demanding the withdrawal of the criminal charges and discontinuance of the matter, failure to which, it would have no choice but to take legal action that would require full disclosure of information about known State House personnel behind the goldgate scandal. 

 “In view of the State’s actions to proceed to charge and arrest our client in breach of the cited law to the exclusion of named persons behind the whole ordeal, who include known personnel at State House, who after the ordeal accompanied the Republican President to Angola and despite having returned, have not been availed for questioning  nor arrested, it is our demand that the State drops the charges forthwith and releases our client from the unlawful detention, failing which, we shall be left with no option but to commence proceedings for appropriate remedies, which action shall contain full disclosure of the information,” the firm  stated.

But Mr Haimbe is claiming that the law firm is playing politics in the gold and cash scandal and according to him, the defence Makebi Zulu and Advocates is putting up  for its clients should attract the attention of LAZ.

Mr Haimbe is of the view that the law firm was playing politics in the gold and cash scandal and not practicing law, telling LAZ to take an interest in the matter.

Commenting on a letter Makebi Zulu and Advocates, the lawyers representing Lusaka businessman, Shadreck Kasanda to the Attorney General in which the law firm accused President Hakainde Hichilema of prejudicing its client, Mr Haimbe claimed that it was mischievous for the law firm to attack the head of State on the matter.

Mr Haimbe said this when he featured on Radio Phoenix. He said the decision by Mr. Zulu to prosecute a criminal case by way of a letter to the Attorney General in the public domain was wrong.

 “Why is this mischievous way of doing things creeping in? Is there a fear that if I just go, I just go to court and I exhaust the matter in court then I will not gain comparative advantage or sympathy? What is he trying to be achieve,” Mr Haimbe said.

He said people needed to be calm and follow the prescribed channels, stating that if there were any complaints about the manner of treatment in prisons, there was a channel through which the law firm could have used.

Mr Haimbe proposed that the law firm should have considered engaging the Commissioner of Prisons and tell them that they were unhappy with the manner their clients were being kept.

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