News / National
Mutambara faces contempt of court charges
05 Mar 2011 at 13:54hrs | Views
DEPUTY Prime Minister (DPM) Arthur Mutambara faces contempt of court charges for attending a principals meeting last Friday despite an interim order that stopped him from acting as the president of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
The MDC is enmeshed in power struggles following a controversial congress held in January that placed the party's former secretary general, Welshman Ncube, at the helm, with matters coming to a head after a subsequent resolution to recall Mutambara from the DPM's post to the largely obscure Regional Integration and International Cooperation Ministry.
A political circus ensued after the MDC fired Mutambara, forcing him to retaliate by declaring that he was the legitimate party leader pending another congress, and in the process precipitating a legal battle that culminated in an interim order against him.
Prominent Bulawayo lawyer, Josphat Tshuma of Webb, Low and Barry, confirmed yesterday receiving instructions on contempt charges.
"I think that by next week we will have filed the papers," Tshuma said.
Last week Mutambara challenged the interdict saying it was not an urgent matter. He added that Ncube and others had no locus standi to drag him to court. Locus standi is a latin term referring to a person's legal standing before a court.
"I dispute that the MDC is making such an application. I am the MDC's president," said Mutambara.
The MDC is enmeshed in power struggles following a controversial congress held in January that placed the party's former secretary general, Welshman Ncube, at the helm, with matters coming to a head after a subsequent resolution to recall Mutambara from the DPM's post to the largely obscure Regional Integration and International Cooperation Ministry.
A political circus ensued after the MDC fired Mutambara, forcing him to retaliate by declaring that he was the legitimate party leader pending another congress, and in the process precipitating a legal battle that culminated in an interim order against him.
"I think that by next week we will have filed the papers," Tshuma said.
Last week Mutambara challenged the interdict saying it was not an urgent matter. He added that Ncube and others had no locus standi to drag him to court. Locus standi is a latin term referring to a person's legal standing before a court.
"I dispute that the MDC is making such an application. I am the MDC's president," said Mutambara.
Source - Byo24NEWS
