•FORMER Kitwe High Court Judge Lloyd Siame (right) presents his credentials to President Michael Sata yesterday at State House in Lusaka during the swearing-in ceremony. Picture by EDDIE MWANALEZA

By KAIKO NAMUSA –

PRESIDENT Michael Sata has appointed retired Kitwe High Court judge, Lloyd Siame as an additional member of the Tribunal constituted to probe the conduct of two suspended Ndola High Court judges, Emelia Sunkutu and Timothy Katanekwa.

President Sata set up the Tribunal in September last year, which was being co-chaired by former Chief Justice Mathew Ngulube and Mr Justice Frederick Chomba, who is former minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General.

President Sata announced the appointment of Mr Justice Siame during a swearing-in ceremony at State House in Lusaka yesterday.

Mr Justice Ngulube is in charge of the Tribunal probing Ms Justice Sunkuntu while Mr Justice Chomba is in charge of the tribunal investigating Mr Justice Katanekwa.

Mr Justice Siame joins other justices sitting as members who include former Electoral Commission of Zambia chairperson, Mr Justice Bobby Bwalya and Mr Justice Sylvester Simachela, while Chilombo Phiri was appointed as the tribunal secretary.

Commenting on his inclusion on the tribunal, Mr Justice Siame said he would work with the other members to come up with a fair recommendation from the Tribunal findings.

“Outrightly, we’ll do the best and swear to come out with a fair recommendation,” he said.

President Sata said when he swore-in the initial members of the Tribunal that they should ensure that the public knew the truth about the conduct of the two suspended judges.

In May last year, Mr Sata suspended three other judges over their alleged professional misconduct and appointed a Tribunal, chaired by Malawian High Court Judge Justice Lovemore Chikopa, to probe them.

The suspended judges were Supreme Court Judge Philip Musonda and High Court judges, Charles Kajimanga and Nigel Mutuna.

The President suspended the three judges over their conduct in a civil case involving the Development Bank of Zambia as the complainant, and The Post Newspapers Limited, Mutembo Nchito and JNC Holdings Limited as defendants.

The Tribunal had not commenced sitting due to pending court injunctions.