Disgruntled resident sues ZIALE council

A LUSAKA resident has dragged the council of the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Training (ZIALE) to the Lusaka High Court for allegedly rejecting his application for enrolment as a student despite him having the requisite requirements. According to his Notice of Appeal, Victor Mukupa said he was dissatisfied with the decision of the council of ZIALE delivered to him in September this year. He said he had wanted to enrol for the 2018 intake but the institution rejected him based on the old application of 2009 even after obtaining new qualifications. “The council of the Zambia Institute of Advance Legal Training erred blatantly when it rejected my entire fresh application for enrolment as student in the 2018 intake based on the old application for the 2009 intake when in fact I advanced a totally fresh application that was based on new qualifications and met all the requirements that every other applicant was required to advance during this application,” Mr Mukupa said. He said ZIALE adjudged that he did not qualify to be a student even after submitting a degree from Cavendish University. He said there was no proof that he had a bad character, fitness or suitability to be a student. Mr Mukupa claimed ZIALE erred when it failed to consider his fresh application on its merits in accordance with the requirements under Rule 5 and 6 of the Legal Practitioners student Rules which requires that the applicant should have obtained a degree from a university recognised by the council or equivalent to the ones required by the council. He claimed that ZIALE erred when it repeatedly referred him back to UNZA when UNZA already communicated to it on December 16 2015. Mr Mukupa also said ZIALE erred when it withdrew him as a student four days before the final examination in 2013.