Zambian union wants Judge Chikopa out
The Judicial and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (Jawuz) is pushing the Zambian government to send back Supreme Court Judge Lovemore Chikopa to Malawi observing that with the non-functioning of the tribunal to which he was hired, his continued stay is demeaning the country’s judicial system.
In May 2012, Zambian President Michael Sata appointed Chikopa and three other former Zambian High Court judges as members of a tribunal to investigate the alleged professional misconduct of three judges he claimed acted unprofessionally in the case involving a $2.7 million loan to a local airline.
The case involved the Development Bank of Zambia, The Post Newspapers Limited, JNC Investment Holdings and Mutembo Nchito.
However, two of the suspended judges obtained an injunction to prevent the tribunal from sitting and the issue is yet to be decided in the country’s Supreme Court.
Chikopa has since remained in Zambia waiting for the court’s determination.
In an interview on Wednesday, Zambian Deputy High Commissioner in Lilongwe, Henry Ngilazi, said the Zambian Government’s position on the issue is that it is still waiting for the determination of the court on the matter.
In an interview on his cellphone on Wednesday, Chikopa declined to comment on the matter and to confirm whether he is back in Malawi as sources suggested.
