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Majority of petitioners to the Legal and Justice Sector Reforms Commission in Lusaka’s Chiwama Township today demanded that officers from Law enforcement agencies should declare their assets they acquire once in office.
The petitioners observed that police offices, judges and other officers from investigative wings have a tendency of acquiring wealth dubiously using their positions.
Adam Phiri, a resident of Chawama told the commissioner that some police officers today own property worth a lot of money beyond their respective salaries.
Mr. Phiri explained that police, DEC and ACC officers are in the habit of taking bribes from offenders which he said made them wealthier.
He said in some instances most officers from the same trend acquire more than five mini-buses which he said are driven by unlicensed drivers who are protected by the officers.
Mr. Phiri also stated the ACC and DEC are a let down to the society as they wait to be instructed as to who they should investigate and pay a blind eye at the corruption taking place at the passport office and National Registration Issuance office.
He also appealed to the commission to consider addressing the cause of congestion in prisons which he said was due to lack of coordination between the arresting officers who arrests people without evidence and the courts.
He appealed to the office of the Director of public Prosecution to stop the police from arresting people if they re not ready to have them prosecuted due to lack of evidence.
And another petitioner Robert Sakala submitted that the commission should address the issue of unlawful detention by police and searching people by the DEC and ACC without court warrant to do so.
Mr. Sakala who was among the Zambia Army Officers accused of plotting the 1997 attemted presidential coup lamented that congestion in prisons can be addressed if authorities consider
allowing bail for known people in their cognizance while those with small offences be given community service as their punishment.
Mr. Sakala also appealed to the office of the DPP to consider decentralizing their offices so that cases are quickly cleared noting that the police in most cases arrest people before investigating which
leds to prolonged detention of people in cells before being charged.
And Mr. Sakala has submitted to the commission to come up with a board or a tribunal composed of retired judges which will be specifically set to hear presidential petitions so that such cases are concluded before the president-elect is sworn in.
He also suggested that the President-elect should be sworn in office after a period of 90 days not within hours after being declared winners of the election.
