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Local Court Officer Dares Court Order
By Perpetual Sichikwnkwe
A local court officer in Mansa has refused to pay K1 million compensation
that he was ordered by the court to pay his former wife for divorce, saying
he cannot be cited for defying court orders because he is a judiciary
employee.
But Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) Mansa Paralegal Gilbert Yumba has
warned judicial officers against defying court orders, saying no person in
Zambia was above the rule of law.
Yvonne Mwelwa complained to Yumba against her former husband Peter Mwewa and
his girlfriend Chishala Makungo for defying court orders after the court
ordered them to compensate her for divorcing and marriage interference
respectively.
Yvonne explained that she was married to Peter for 12 years under customary
marriage and have two children.
She said marital disputes started in 2002 when the couple went to visit at
Kalaba where Peter found himself another woman leading to him deserting the
marital home.
In October 2005, Yvonne sued Peter for reconciliation in the Mansa local
court but Peter opted for divorce. The court ordered that Peter compensates
Yvonne K1 million after dissolving the marriage.
Yvonne had also sued Chishala for marriage interference and Chishala was
ordered to compensate her K800,000 but she has not yet paid anything so far.
When Yvonne made a follow up with Peter over the payment, Peter allegedly
said there is no where Yvonne could seek assistance because he works for the
local court, the same court that ordered him to compensate her.
Yumba has since written to the Provincial Local Court Officer to intervene
in the matter but by press time, the officer had not responded to Yumba's
concerns.
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