In the DPP and DEC Saga
13/04/2022
The country has been embroidered in a debate where many people are giving a lot of opinions that raise more questions and suspicions than answers. I will not take sides but will look at the Zambian judicial process when it comes to arrests and hopefully the readers will make their own independent judgement devoid of partisan lenses.
First and foremost, an arrest is a step leading to prosecution of the arrested person.
The DPP entered a Nolle, basically saying that DO NOT prosecute the charges where l have entered a Nolle.
The DEC decided to arrest on the same charge(s).
The DPP then wrote a confidential letter asking for an explanation why there had been an arrest on a charge(s) where a Nolle had been entered without any engagement with DPP.
The DPP had an option of entering another Nolle on those same charges, BUT that would have perpetuated or created indisputable evidence that the LEAs and DPP are not working together, which would have ultimately undermined the criminal justice system AND the fight against corruption.
So, was the DPP wrong to write a confidential letter seeking an explanation from DEC?
I find it extremely sad that it is happening when it is women leading both organisations at the moment, and so people want to reduce this to a ‘cat fight.’ But these are not two women fighting each other. It is clearly bigger issues behind this. And it is just so sad that it was not done silently, but done in a way that it put one woman against the other in the public eye, BUT we all know that this fight is certainly very far away from the two.
The fight against corruption should never be done in a way that it undermines the criminal justice system. Because it is the same undermining of people and institutions that breeds corruption and creates people that are more powerful than institutions.
Issued by;
Saboi Imboela
President- NDC