Chief Justice takes on Swartbooi
… LPM leader must prove ‘judges are drunkards’
Chief Justice Peter Shivute has challenged Landless People’s Movement (LPM) leader Bernadus Swartbooi to prove that there are high levels of imbibing of alcohol in the judiciary.
Shivute said this on Tuesday in response to questions by this agency regarding a call by Swartbooi for the judiciary to offer rehabilitation to some of its judges, whom, according to the politician, are addicted to alcohol, rendering them incompetent.
Swartbooi last week said some judgements crafted by Namibian judges fall short of the required standard in law and logic and that the independence of the judiciary is fast being eroded.
Swartbooi, a lawyer himself, said a close analysis of some judgements by the judges shows that they must be rehabilitated to address their ‘love for alcohol.’
“We have to deal with the question of judges that are addicted to alcohol abuse. It is an important matter and sensitive… we know their names.
They take decisions that when you read, you can see that here is whiskey talking,” he charged.
In response, Shivute said attacks on the integrity of individual judges and the institution of the judiciary are unfortunate and corrosive, especially coming from those who hold public office.
“Imputations of impropriety against judges (individually or collectively) without evidence, therefore, have to be condemned by all those who value the independence of the Judiciary. Those who have evidence to support such claims must lay complaints with the Judicial Service Commission,” Shivute said.
He further noted that dissatisfaction with the outcome of a given case is no justification for casting aspersions on the character of a judge.
Shivute also warned that those who make such “claims, or report them, without evidence, render themselves liable to actionable defamation.”
Similarly, justice minister Yvonne Dausab also came to the judiciary’s defence, saying the body must be allowed to operate without fear of reprisal of any form. Dausab stressed that judicial independence is a key feature of Namibia’s constitution.