DICTATOR WANTS TO TAKE OVER JUDICIARY – CJ

MBABANE – The Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi says there is a dictator who wants to run the country’s Judiciary.

In an exclusive interview with the Times SUNDAY from his house where he locked himself together with his family to avoid being arrested for charges of corruption, Ramodibedi has claimed that there is someone within the Executive arm of government who wanted to take over the Judiciary.

Even though he did not specify who he was referring to, pointers suggest that he was talking about the Prime Minister, Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, as the attack on the Judiciary started after the court cases on the Estate policy, which government lost. 
In a tired voice, he vowed that he would not allow that to happen. Ramodibedi is facing six charges relating to corruption and other criinal charges, including defeating the ends of justice, abuse of power, conflict of interest and theft.

Some of the charges, it has been alleged, emanate from the manner in which his case between the Swaziland Revenue Authority (SRA) where he was challenging the authority for taxing him at 33 per cent for his gratuity instead of 15 per cent after his four-year contract as CJ ended in December 2013 between, was handled.

It was alleged that the CJ allocated his matter to Judge Mpendulo Simelane in full knowledge that Simelane had dealt with the SRA on his behalf while he was the Registrar of the High Court. The SRA lost the case and had noted an appeal. The CJ’s contract was extended for an indefinite period, but he did receive his gratuity for the finished term.

For the first time since his self-imposed house arrest, the chief justice opened up on what he thought had led to the Anti Corruption Commission seeking to arrest him. “I don’t want to say much. The whole nation and the whole world know what is happening here. Everybody knows who is behind all of this. Everybody knows that the Judiciary is under attack; strictly for doing its work and for standing firm on its independence.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: