CLARIFICATION (21 April 2015) Information received from Swaziland indicated that the CJ was still holed up in his house but that Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Sibusiso Shongwe had been arrested along with two judges; Mpendulo Simelane, Jacobus Annandale and High Court Registrar Fikile Nhlabatsi.
The Swaziland Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi is expected in court on
Tuesday (21 April 2015) at the start of a process that could see him charged
with 23 offences, including abuse of power.
An arrest
warrant for Ramodibedi was
made on Friday (17 April 2015) but he barricaded himself in his home to evade
police.
A warrant for the arrest of High Court Judge
Mpendulo Simelane was made at the same time.
Armed riot police stood by outside Ramodibedi’s house for two days
waiting for the order to enter, but it never came.
It was reported that water and electricity supplies
were cut off at the house in an attempt to flush Ramodibedi
out
of his home.
Unconfirmed reports on social media said that Ramodibedi was hoping that King
Mswati III would order the arrest warrant to be torn up. Instead, it is
reported the King, who rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute
monarch, confirmed he should be arrested.
If this proves correct, it will surprise many
observers. The King personally re-appointed Ramodibedi
to
office in contravention of the kingdom’s constitution. It states that the Chief
Justice should be a Swazi national, but Ramodibedi
was
born in Lesotho.
Ramodibedi has been a staunch supporter of the
King and even went to the extent in 2011 of issuing a directive that the King was
immune from any claims made directly or indirectly against him in a court of law.
This legally placed the King above the law.
Ramodibedi faces at least 23
charges, according to the Observer
Saturday, a newspaper in effect owned by the King.
The
newspaper reported, ‘Their
charges are that of conflict of interest, defeating the ends of justice and
abuse of power in that the Chief Justice Ramodibedi allocated his case of
contesting his E128,000 [US$12,800] gratuity against the Swaziland Revenue
Authority (SRA) to Justice Mpendulo Simelane in full knowledge that Judge
Simelane in his then capacity as Registrar of the High Court, made written and oral
representations on the chief justice’s behalf to the SRA.
‘Their act has eroded the confidence of the public in the country’s
justice system. The Chief Justice, who had gone on a short trip to South
Africa, returned to the country on Friday [17 April 2015] afternoon,
amid reports that the ACC [Anti-Corruption Commission] wanted to get a warrant
of arrest against him and Judge Mpendulo.’
See also
CJ
HAS HISTORY OF ABUSE OF POWER
CJ
BID TO CANCEL OWN ARREST WARRANT
ARREST
WARRANT FOR CHIEF JUSTICE
CJ
AND JAILED JOURNALISTS
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