Nganunu is still missing from the bench

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Tuesday January 19, 2010 00:00

 

The official opening of the legal year is scheduled for February 2 but the ceremony might commence without the presence of Chief Justice Julian Nganunu who is still recuperating at home after spending two months in hospital. He fell sick and was hospitalised at Gaborone Private Hospital on the October 31 last year and was later transferred to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg South Africa. He was discharged on December 14.

Responding to our queries the principal public relations officer of the High Court Janet Mudongo said that, 'the doctors will decide when he should return to work.'

Justice Maruping Dibotelo has been Acting Chief Justice since last year and the High Court has not experienced any problems with its operations. 

Expected to make statements at the ceremony are Attorney General, Athaliah Molokomme, the Chief Justice and the Chairman of the Law Society of Botswana (LSB), Tebogo Sebego. The AG is likely to touch on the issue of shortage of experienced attorneys for her department who are said to be leaving in large numbers to hunt for greener pastures in the private sector.

The Chief Justice will make a statement on the progress made on the Judicial Case Management System, the construction of the High Court in Gaborone and the shortage of experienced citizen magistrates in the country. He should also brief the nation on what is going to happen to the Lobatse High Court building and whether the Court of Appeal will sit throughout the year.

The Chairman of LSB will definitely speak about the extra-judicial killings that seem to be taking over the normal procedure of trying people for their crimes.

Last year the LSB threatened to take President Ian Khama to the Internal Criminal Court if he did not make an undertaking to halt extra judicial killings carried out by government security agents.