Swaziland’s Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi, who is subject to an arrest warrant for alleged abuse of power, ordered the warrant to be declared void.
As a
result High Court Judge Jacobus Annadale visited the Chief Justice at his home
where he had locked himself in to avoid arrest. There, Judge Annadale signed an
order rescinding the arrest warrants.
When Judge
Annadale tried to execute the order, police officers refused to accept it and
the Chief Justice remained in his house.
According
to the Observer Sunday, a
newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, who, as absolute monarch in
Swaziland appointed Ramodibedi as Chief Justice, Annadale said the original arrest
warrants were invalid because, ‘no clearance had been sought with the relevant
authorities [the King]’.
The Observer reported, ‘Judge Annadale is
likely to be implicated in impeachment proceedings that the CJ will possibly
face regarding his conduct in carrying out his duties as head of the judiciary.’
The Observer added, ‘It is understood that
Annadale together with Judge Mpendulo and High Court Registrar Fikile Nhlabatsi
assembled at the CJ’s house yesterday morning [18 April 2015] from around 9am
until noon where they drew up the order nullifying the arrest warrants.
‘According
to sources who saw the order by Judge Annadale, the warrants were being declared
null and void because no clearance had been sought with the relevant
authorities.
‘It is
not known who the authorities are but Minister of Justice and Constitutional
Affairs Sibusiso Shongwe has previously publicly stated that the CJ is
answerable to no one else except His Majesty.’
The
newspaper added, ‘Yesterday afternoon, High Court Registrar Fikile Nhlabatsi
brandished Judge Annandale’s order to police officers and ACC [Anti-Corruption
Commission] officials who had come to effect an arrest on the CJ.
‘She is
said to have informed the police and ACC officials that they could no longer go
ahead with the arrest because it had been overturned.
‘“But she
was told point blank that the order would not be entertained and respected
because it was not done in court but in the house of the chief justice, who,
moreover, was subject of the matter at hand,” a police source divulged.
‘This
stance is said to have left Nhlabatsi gobsmacked and he communicated same to
the CJ who then elected to lock himself in his house to evade arrest.’
See also
ARREST WARRANT
FOR CHIEF JUSTICE
CJ AND
JAILED JOURNALISTS
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