MBABANE:Chief Justice(CJ) Bheki Maphalala is allegedly considering seeking an audience with King Mswati and apologize amid a plot to remove him from power.
In fact,close insiders told this publication that,the Chief Justice who stands accused of nepotism,fraud and corruption including selling justice to the rich and powerful thus undermining the independence of the Judiciary,has been making attempts to meet the King for the past three(3) weeks.
But it remains unclear if the troubled Head of the Judiciary eventually met Mswati or not,the Chief Justice had not responded at the time of compiling this report.
Reached for comments by this Swaziland News on Sunday,King’s Spokesperson Percy Simelane said such meetings are held behind closed doors.
“Our experience is that not all encounters with the King are public and can leave footprints on the sands of his administration.We have no record of the alleged encounter, which may mean it was not done publicly if indeed it took place”,said the King’s Spokesperson.
It has been disclosed that,should the King decide to forgive the Chief Justice, a Judicial Service Commission(JSC) will be announced to stabilize the operations of the Judiciary.
As previously reported by this publication,the delay in the appointment of the Judicial Service Commission(JSC) was allegedly triggered by the uncertainty on whether the Chief Justice will be removed or not.
The Law Society of Eswatini(LSE) has been calling for the removal of the CJ amid serious allegations of misconduct but,the powers to decide the future of the Chief Justice vests with the King.
King Mswati.