By Cathy Maulidi:
Lawyer representing opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Charles Mhango has filed a certificate of extreme urgency, asking the court to resolve the Leader of the Opposition fight “as soon as possible”.
Mhango told journalists Tuesday that only the court can solve the drama happening at Parliament if a ruling on the Leader of the Opposition injunction is delivered “fast”.
“I did emphasise that the judge should take judicial notice of the events at Parliament that took place on Friday, Monday and today [Tuesday].
“These proceedings are affecting the internal affairs of Parliament and we need to resolve these matters with speed, otherwise Parliament may be crippled because of this case,” Mhango said.
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According to Mhango, High Court Judge Simeon Mdeza has taken note of the DPP’s request and has promised to act with speed.
“The judge said he is aware of what is happening at Parliament and he has promised to act with speed and make a determination,” he said.
DPP, through Mhango, made an application to vacate an injunction that is stopping the party’s preferred Leader of Opposition from being recognised in Parliament.
The injunction was obtained in 2022 by some DPP members of Parliament (MPs) in the Kondwani Nankhumwa camp including Chitipa South representative Werani Chilenga.
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The judge Tuesday failed to hear DPP’s application as Nankhumwa also filed another application questioning the High Court’s powers to vacate the injunction.
Nankhumwa’s lawyer Wapona Kita said they filed a preliminary application to the effect that the court has no powers to vacate its injunction after it already dismissed an application to vacate the same injunction by the DPP sometime back.
Speaking to journalists after the hearing of their preliminary application Tuesday, another lawyer representing Nankhumwa, Gift Katundu, said the judge has reserved his ruling to a later date.
Katundu also said George Chaponda who is fighting the case in court currently is no longer DPP’s chosen Leader of Opposition and questioned why he is in court with the matter.
On the DPP’s application to have the matter fast-tracked due to Parliament fights, Katundu said the confusion at the august House is there because DPP does not want to respect the law.
