WRP seeks recusal of judge

The Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP) is vexed with a presiding judge in their application against the suspension of their parliamentary funding and seat in the National Assembly and is demanding his recusal. The recusal application came in the wake of Judge Shafimana Ueitele’s alleged removal of the WRP’s application from the roll which was aimed at compelling the Speaker of the National Assembly and his secretary to release the parliamentary funds which they stalled. The funds and the WRP’s parliamentary seat were suspended after there was internal squabble within the WRP as to who should take up their seat in the National Assembly. The party, on November 27, 2015, approached the court to compel the Speaker of the National Assembly to release the funds. The case is set for today. The applicants further allege gross irregularities in that the judge did not disclose his identity in the notice for the case management conference. The WRP also lodged a complaint to the Judicial Service Commission against Judge Ueitele for abuse of the bench, contempt of court, bringing the law into disrepute, and incompetence. “The omission is particularly pernicious as it is a basic requirement to know who the judge will be. This is one indispensable element of openness and a fair trial. The rule requires the disclosure of identity,” the WRP said. The party further alleged that they were not served with the notice of the conference scheduled for February 10 whilst the government attorney representing the Speaker received it. “Ueitele is a Swapo member. It is preposterous for him to sit on a dispute between Swapo and the WRP,” they argue. The WRP, in their grounds of complaint to the commission, Ueitele, said the judge on February 10 in court threatened Hewat Beukes with a street brawl to resolve principle issues the latter raised with him in the court. FRED GOEIEMAN