Blunders set back fight against corruption
Namibia's watchdog Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is in a great deal of trouble: a major bribery and fraud case, begun in 2009, appears to be imploding. Ten years after the scandal first broke that a member of the Public Service Commission, guardian of ethical...
Reaction to shock suspension of Nigeria’s chief justice
THE decision by Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, to suspend the country’s chief justice, Walter Onnoghen, has come under increasing criticism at home and abroad. Following the suspension of Nigeria’s judicial leader, his deputy as chief justice, Ibrahim Tanko...
Zim judge presiding in controversial Lesotho murder trials, starts work
A number of controversial murder trials are about to get under way in Lesotho, presided over by foreign judges to ensure the cases are seen to be fairly conducted and without bias to either side. The murders allegedly involve high-ranking figures from the country's...
Namibian lawyer tells national police chief: protect my client against abduction, rendition, by Zim police
As the crisis in human rights and the rule of law continues in Zimbabwe, its impact – and growing condemnation of the government crackdown – has spread elsewhere in the region and abroad. In Namibia, an opposition MP, visiting from Zimbabwe, fears for his life after...
Malawi’s courts will intervene, even in party political disputes – judge
As election fever hots up in Malawi, a high court judge has reminded political parties of something many would rather forget: that under certain circumstances the judiciary is obliged to hear and decide party disputes. It could not be denied that courts had...
Bucking regional trend, Zim court gives go-ahead to sue for adultery
Flaring political passions in the region continue to make news headlines, but the courts have been hearing about other kinds of passion as well. While Zimbabwe is alight with raging political conflict, and while citizens die at the hands of the police and security...
Worked out?
The finding of a Zambian court holds a salutary lesson for government appointees: ensure the legalities line up before breaking out the champagne A JUDGMENT from Zambia’s court of appeal has left me thinking about the real meaning of independence. The case concerns...
Law society meets with Chief Justice over torture, crackdown in Zimbabwe
Security forces in Zimbabwe are continuing to use torture and deadly force against people protesting against government restrictions and fuel hikes that have made petrol in that country the highest-priced in the world. Alarming pictures of security forces beating...
“Dangerous” for politician to head Seychelles Human Rights Commission – judges
WHEN prominent Seychellois lawyer and political figure, Alexia Amesbury, decided to contest a seat on the country’s human rights commission, she came up against an apparently immovable obstacle: the law disqualifies candidates who hold office in or are employed by...
“Despicable” behaviour outside debating chamber not privileged, judge tells assembly members
Dressed in a pink suit and looking rather bewildered, Nairobi city county Speaker, Beatrice Elachi, is seen on camera watching as protesting assembly members demonstrate in her office. They wanted her to step down and yelled and shouted at her to achieve their aim....