By 
Governance enthusiast, Wesley Miyanda, says the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) should drop the idea of appealing against former Justice Minister, Given Lubinda’s acquittal.
The Commission on April 19, 2024 revealed its plans to appeal the decision of the Lusaka Magistrate Court to acquit Lubinda of corruption charges, noting that the prosecution had failed to meet the burden of proof.
Miyanda said it would be absurd for the ACC to make a u-turn and begin to seemingly question the credible sovereignty of the judicial system by appealing against the verdict.
“Our honourable learned judges depended largely on the same debilitated evidence given by ACC to arrive at the adjudication given to Hon. Lubinda which saw him walk to freedom,” he stated.
Miyanda added that Lubinda’s acquittal and that of many others who had been acquitted for similar cases should be an eye opener to the ACC and other security agencies.
He echoed President Hakainde Hichilema’s sentiments that thorough investigations need to be done before any arrests were made to avert unnecessary expenses and time wasting.
“Stupendous sums of taxpayers’ money have been pumped into the fight against corruption by government, but three quarters of cases have turned out to be lifeless,” Miyanda noted.
He said the country had seen sized properties suspected to be proceeds of crime and other valuables given back to culprits due to blunt-witted evidence rendered to the Courts of law.
“However, we would be failing in our noble duty if we don’t point out grey areas in the judicial system,” Miyanda stated.
He said from the human rights point of view, it had been observed that numerous discrepancies and indescribable partiality had taken the centrestage in the judicial system.
Miyanda alleged that a lot of the learned Judges were politically inclined, looking at the way certain cases were concluded.
“It is very unbelievably shocking to find someone who has stolen huge sums of money or committed murder with overwhelming evidence, but still acquitted,” he said.
Miyanda, citing alleged anomalies, claimed that some persons had been sent to prison for 10 years for being found with bush meat or for stealing a bag of mealie meal from a supermarket.
He cautioned that the integrity of judges should never be questionable because that could potentially end up compromising justice delivery.
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