Lusaka lawyer sues LAZ over JCC

LUSAKA lawyer Jonas Zimba has sued the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) for allegedly infringing on his rights to comment on the composition of the Judicial Complaints Commission (JCC) officers.

In his petition filed in the Lusaka High Court for the enforcement of provisions of the Constitution of Zambia, Mr Zimba says Article 20 of the constitution gives him the right to freely express, hold and communicate opinions or ideas to the public or any class of persons without interference.

Mr Zimba says that on December 18 2017, he gave an opinion which was carried as a news item on ZNBC to the effect that JCC was problematic as it has practicing lawyers supervising judges.

He claimed that it was his opinion that the ideal situation should be that it is better for judges to supervise fellow judges just like what happens at the LAZ.

Mr Zimba claims that it is unconstitutional as it cannot be justified in a democratic society to restrict the rights and freedoms of a legal practitioner to express themselves and speak their mind on any issue of public interest.

He therefore, seeks a declaration that the complaint by JCC is unreasonable and malicious.

He also wants a declaration that the summons issued by LAZ are illegal and void as they do not set out the rule that he is in breach of.