Don’t turn Court into circus, Kambwili’s lawyers warned
LUSAKA Magistrate Nsunge Chanda yesterday told Roan Member of Parliament &hishiPEa .aPEZili’s lawyers not to turn her court into a circus. This was after all the four lawyers representing Kambwili failed to show up in a case he has been summoned for contempt of court relating to alleged alteration of Mwamona Engineering and Technical Services directors· names when the matter was already in court. In this case, Kambwili is represented by lawyers Keith Mweemba, Gilbert Phiri, Zevyanji Sinkala, and Christopher Mundia. Last week, Mr. Mweemba, Mr. Phiri, and Mr. Sinkala informed the court that they would not be available for the case this week as they had a criminal matter before High Court Judge Mwamba Chanda, after which Magistrate Chanda told Kambwili that he would defend himself in the absence of his lawyers. When the case was called yesterday, Magistrate Chanda told Kambwili that he hired the lawyers to defend him and that he should be a priority to them. She reiterated that she did not fi[ the preset dates but the prosecution and Kambwili·s lawyers did. Ms. Chanda said courts did not delay cases but lawyers did. She said it was saddening for lawyers to say they were appearing in higher courts. ´, don·t want this court to be turned into a circus where lawyers can just say they are going to the High Court... don·t impose dates that are already taken up. “If your lawyers have so many matters, they should surrender some of them to other people in line with the Legal Practitioners Act,” Ms. Chanda told Kambwili. She refused to accept the proposed December dates. Earlier, the prosecution informed the court that they had received a notice of adMournment and an affidavit from one of the defence lawyers, Christopher Mundia, who sent a representative to inform the court that he was on a five-day bed rest. The matter comes up on November 20, 2018 for mention.
If your lawyers have so many matters, they should surrender some of them to other people in line with the Legal Practitioners Act— Ms. Chanda told Kambwili.