‘Stranger’ in court: Speaker’s lawyer slams Attorney General Mbeta’s late move

Speaker’s court fight takes new Attorney General Frank Mbeta has joined the High Court battle over Parliament’s 12 committees as an interested party, a case in which he was originally expected to stand by the Speaker.

Speaker Sameer Suleman is challenging an injunction obtained by citizen Austin Mkoka, which blocks the formation of the committees set up to probe the operations of some statutory firms.

Mr Mbeta’s office was initially supposed to represent the Speaker. But as of yesterday, the government’s lawyer had made no commitment to join the case.

Surprise at the hearing

At a virtual hearing this morning, Judge Allan Muhome told the parties that the Attorney General applied yesterday to join as an interested party.

The Speaker’s lawyer, Bright Theu, said he was surprised by the move. He described Mr Mbeta as a “stranger” to the case, saying no documents showed he would be a party.

Lawyer Chikosa Silungwe also asked that procedures and timelines for filing documents be followed.

Timetable

Mr Mbeta has asked for ten days to file his documents. Mr Mkoka’s lawyer, Noel Supedi, said he would need at least seven days to respond.

The case has been adjourned to 5 November 2026