SATA FILES PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATIONS

Mr Sata arrives to file his nomination at the Lusaka High Court.





PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata on Tuesday successfully filed in his nomination for the October 30 presidential elections.
This was after the High Court dismissed an application for an injunction to restrain him from doing so.
Kasama Central Member of Parliament (MP) Saviour Chsihimba on Monday filed an injunction in the Lusaka High Court to restrain Mr Sata from filing in his nomination arguing that Mr Sata’s adoption was against the party’s constitution.
Just after the injunction was dismissed by the High Court, Mr Sata took oath at the Supreme Court before High Court registrar Mwamba Chanda and later filed in his nomination before Chief Justice, Ernest Sakala.
The filing in of the nomination was witnessed by Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson, Justice Florence Mumba, ECZ deputy director for elections Priscilla Isaac and Commissioner Joseph Jalasi.
Mr Sata was accompanied by his wife, Dr Christine Kaseba and he paid the K20 million nomination fee and was in a jovial mood, mostly using vernacular language as he filed his papers and declared his assets and liabilities.
His 200 registered supporters were also screened by ECZ officers.
In his declaration of assets owned as at March 31, 2008, Mr Sata declared seven fire arms, K11.5 million worth of shares at Standard Chartered Bank, K15 million shares at BP Zambia and K3.1 million shares at Chilanga Cement.
He also owns 33 percent shares in a family trust that owns seven properties, another 33 percent shares in City Advertisers with an annual income of K6 million and owns Gerald Julianos Oil although he was not yet earning any money.
He declared K559.755 current account at Standard Chartered Bank, a K1.1 million current account at ZANACO. Others are a K46 million account at Finance Bank and a US $ 933 account at Finance Bank.
Mr Sata is owed K45 million by China Hainan and he also owes former Libyan ambassador Mbita Chitala K20 million, which arises from a defamation case currently before the courts.
After the filing in, Mr Justice Sakala informed Mr Sata to wait for the announcement of successful nominees on Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile as Mr Sata waited for the conclusion of the injunction and filing in his nomination several cadres gathered at the Supreme Court ground chanting slogans in solidarity as police officers kept vigil.
Earlier, High Court Judge Philip Musonda in his ruling dismissed Dr Chishimba’s application for an injunction with costs and condemned him to credit Mr Sata for all the time lost.
Judge Musonda said the action was misconceived and that there was no basis for such.
Mr Sata’s lawyers had earlier filed a notice to raise preliminary points of law and stated that the endorsement of the writ of summons did not disclose any cause of action against the PF leader.
The lawyers stated that the purported claim did not disclose in what capacity Mr Sata was sued and what remedy was being sought against him.
They claimed that the PF party being an incorporated association did not have any legal capacity to sue or to be sued.