Former MMD National Secretary Maj Richard Kachingwe says Chief Justice Ireen Mambilima must cleanse the judiciary in order to restore public confidence in the institution.

Backing Chilufya Tayali’s statement that the liquidation of The Post was being fraudulently handled, Maj Kachingwe observed that it was clear a corrupt group of people had conspired with the Judiciary to shut down Zambia’s biggest independent newspaper.

“Our judicial system is meant to be a key aspect of our democratic way of life. It’s invented to uphold peace, order and good governance. Sadly this is not the case in Zambia. I am in agreement with Chilufya Tayali’s call for an intrinsic investigation to be instituted by the Chief Justice, Ireen Mambilima, to ensure that this costly blunder is corrected in the possible shortest time. It’s evidently clear that a corrupt group of people, who had scores to settle with The Post newspaper, conspired with the Judiciary to shut down Zambia’s biggest independent Newspaper,” Maj Kachingwe stated in a press release today.

“If the Judiciary was fair and objective, The Post newspaper wouldn’t have been shut down. Instead, the enemies of a free Press and some contrived elements of the Judiciary connived with five disgruntled former Post employees, Abel Mbozi, Andrew Chiwenda, Roy Habalu, Bonaventure Bwalya and Mwendalubi Mweene to petition for the liquidation of The Post on flimsy grounds.”

He challenged Mambilima to see to it that The Post was handed back to its owners.

“These five former Post employees have been rewarded handsomely. Some of them have been given government jobs while some others are now driving new vehicles when a few months ago they hardly had money for their children’s school fees. All this at the expense of the over 2000 Post employees that have been rendered Jobless due to this closure. The Chief Justice has a momentous task of cleansing the Judiciary so as to restore public confidence in the Zambian legal system. She still has an opportunity to save her reputation of presiding over the most questionable judicial bench in the history of the Zambian legal system. All she has to do is ensure The Post Newspaper is rightfully handed back to the owners and allow it to be published,” Maj Kachingwe stated.

“It’s worrisome that the Judiciary has decided to go to bed with a few fraudulent individuals at the expense of the masses. Not only have the former Post employees been rendered unemployed but the whole country has been subjected to gross misinformation due to the absence of a reliable and reputable independent Newspaper.”

He stated that the Judiciary was in shambles.

“The Zambian Judiciary is in shambles and there is a dire need to put corrective measures before the entire system collapses. The reputation of the Zambian Courts has been irreparably damaged by some known highly questionable judges who clearly do not deserve to be judges due to their partisan affiliations which have in turn affected the implementation of the rule of law. What happened to the Post Newspaper and the UPND presidential petition is credence of how rotten to the core the Zambian Judiciary in Zambia is,” stated Maj Kachingwe.

“As a result Zambians no longer look to the judiciary to uphold their rights because of the ineptitude and political caderism being exhibited by some Judges. Our judiciary is biased and sadly acts with fear of powerful interests and the appointing authority. A court’s ability to deliver justice depends on its power to enforce its rulings instead of favouring the ruling party.”