The inquiry into the alleged abuse of power by Swaziland’s suspended Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi will be held in public, it has been announced.
But, it
is not clear whether Ramodibedi, who has been holed up in his house for more
than four weeks after an arrest
warrant was issued against him, will attend.
The
arrest warrant against Ramodibedi was later withdrawn and he was suspended from
office and summoned to appear before a Judicial Service Commission (JSC) hearing.
Acting
Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala told the Saturday
Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, Swaziland’s
absolute monarch, the hearing would last for three days, starting 25 May 2015.
The paper
reported that initially Ramodibedi had been served with 23 charges but these
had now been consolidated and the number reduced.
The
newspaper quoted Maphalala saying, ‘The JSC has decided that this will be a
public enquiry into the allegations levelled against the chief justice. This is
done in terms of section 158 of the Constitution.
‘Upon
conclusion of the enquiry we will submit our report to His Majesty the King for
his decision.’
The venue
for the hearing has yet to be announced.
Ramodibedi
has refused to accept his suspension and he is not expected to cooperate with
the JSC.
Maphalala
said if Ramodibedi failed to appear the hearing would go on without him. ‘If he
decides not to attend, the JSC will proceed to lead listen to the witnesses who
would be called in to give evidence of the said allegations.
‘It would
be an unfortunate thing if he decides to miss an opportunity to defend those
allegations levelled against him. The JSC will be forced to proceed with its
report and forward its recommendations to the appointing authority [the King],’
he told the newspaper.
See also
CJ
HAS HISTORY OF ABUSE OF POWER
SWAZI
JUDICIAL CRISIS: KING’S WORD IS LAW
JURISTS:
DEEP FLAWS IN JUSTICE SYSTEM
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