THE K3M BEING DEMANDED IS A DISTRACTION….I HAVE MORE PRESSING ISSUES TO FOCUS ON – SANGWA
CONSTITUTIONAL lawyer John Sangwa says as a lawyer, he is embarrassed by the K3 million that Makebi Zulu Advocates and Lewis Nathan Advocates are demanding from him as costs following the Constitutional Court’s decision to dismiss his petition against ECZ and others.
In an interview, Sangwa said he was embarrassed by the said demand as it could deceive the public that lawyers make that kind of money just by addressing the court for as short a period as 20 minutes.
“My real position is this, I am actually embarrassed as a lawyer by the demand. As a lawyer I am embarrassed, because what we are doing is to mislead the Zambian people that lawyers make that kind of money. That a lawyer can appear in court, address the court for 20 minutes and make that kind of money,” he said.
“Anyway, I think to me that is a distraction, I have more important national issues to attend to. I will deal with that demand later. Right now, I have more important, more pressing national issues to focus on. If that was the kind of money lawyers make, we would all be retired. It’s embarrassing that someone can be demanding that kind of money in a case where they invited themselves.”
Last week, the Constitutional Court dismissed Sangwa’s petition in which he wanted the court to order the Electoral Commission of Zambia to amend the affidavit for presidential candidates and running mates to include the number of times the candidate has held office as President.
In a ruling, Thursday, Justice Martin Musaluke on behalf of other Constitutional Court judges dismissed the petition with costs and stated that reasons would be given in the judgement to be delivered on May 27, 2021.
But in separate demand letters dated May 17 and 18, this year addressed to Sangwa, Makebi Zulu Advocates and Lewis Nathan Advocates are now demanding K1,500,000 each as costs and have further given Sangwa one week in which to settle the costs.
“In light of the decision of the court dismissing your petition where you were condemned to pay costs, we write to inform you that we have pegged our costs at a modest fee of K1,500,000 only. We accordingly demand that the said sum be paid within seven days of receipt of this letter,” Makebi Zulu Advocates stated.
And in a similar letter, Lewis Nathan Advocates wrote; “Reference is made to the court’s decision of May 13, instant dismissing your petition with costs. We write to inform you that we have pegged our costs at a modest fee of K1,500,000 only. We accordingly demand that the said sum be paid within seven days of receipt of this letter.”
The law firms also provided their bank details.