By DELPHINE ZULU –

THE Legal and Justice Sector Reforms Commission yesterday heard that the five-year ban on Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE) students who fail three examinations should be abolished.

George Silonda submitted that the law banning students after attempting three examinations should not be entertained because it was segregative and shattered future dreams for would-be lawyers.

Mr Silonda said ZIALE students already had a qualification from the University of Zambia (UNZA) and that in an event that they failed ZIALE examinations for three times, it did not mean that they were dull but it was clear that the move was meant to avoid saturating the market.

He also proposed that ZIALE should come up with specialised courses because it currently had too many courses. This made lawyers not to concentrate and ended up failing because of too much work.

“ZIALE should have specified people as lecturers, examiners and people to specifically mark. As it is, it is compromising because the same people are lecturing, setting examinations and marking the same exams,” Mr Silonda said.

The petitioner also submitted that ZIALE should allow more tuition centres to be opened while it remained an examination centre.

Another petitioner, Obed Mukwala submitted before the Frederick Chomba-led Commission at Lusaka’s Chilenje Community Hall that the law on defamation of the President should also be abolished because it was archaic and discriminatory.

He instead recommended that the Commission should come up with a different law that would only allow for a fine once one was found guilty and not a custodial sentence which was currently obtaining.

“I know that the President is a respected person in society and that anyone found abrogating the law on the President should be arrested for defaming the President, but this is infringing on people’s rights of freedom of expression, it should be abolished forthwith,” Mr Mukwala said.

Mr Mukwakwa also submitted that the Supreme Court should not be allowed to refer back cases to the lower court for re-trial because it was considered as the last court of appeal and must deliver the last judgment and not referring back cases as it delayed matters and was a waste of time.

Brian Kuwema submitted that the Commission should introduce CCTV cameras in court, police and prisons to monitor the level of human rights as well as the progress made by the courts.

Mr Kuwema told the Commission that lawyers should stop wearing wigs because they were intimidating and should also move with technology and start using laptops and ipads instead of heavy briefcases.

He said the behaviour of the Drug-Enforcement Commission (DEC) officers when searching suspects was so intimidating and left many people injured and, in the process, making citizens fear to report any case to them.