Patriotic Front VP Given Lubinda Arrested

Hon. Given Lubinda, Vice-President of opposition party Patriotic Front (PF) and former Minister of Justice, has been arrested on charges of breaching parliamentary privileges, after failing to adhere to parliamentary summons when he was ordered to appear before a committee.

Hon. Lubinda’s arrest stems from two summons to appear before the Committee on Privileges and Absences, in December 2021 and again in June 2022, after he criticised the House Speaker of the National Assembly for expelling nine members of parliament who had lost petition court cases.

In her June 2022 ruling, which the PF politician did not attend, the Speaker reprimanded Hon. Lubinda in absentia for his conduct at a PF conference on 8th December 2021. Hon. Lubinda had made comments that were both disrespectful to the Speaker office and demeaning to the National Assembly. The Speaker pointed out that, under the National Assembly Act on Privileges and Absences passed in 2016 while PF was the ruling party, it is a breach of privilege and contempt of the House to make libellous statements that attack the character or acts of the House or any of its committees.

The matter was referred in June 2022 to the Committee on Privileges, Absences and Support Services. The committee decided that Hon. Lubinda’s remarks were a breach of parliamentary privilege and in contempt of the House. The Committee recommended that Hon. Lubinda be reprimanded, and the Speaker ruled in line with these recommendations. Hon. Lubinda refused to appear before the Committee, and was therefore arrested.