NPA staff urged to guarantee improves services

Deputy Secretary to Cabinet, Oliver Kalabo, has urged the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) to ensure that its newly launched service charter translates into improved, accessible and responsive services for members of the public. Speaking in Lusaka during the launch of the NPA…

Deputy Secretary to Cabinet, Oliver Kalabo, has urged the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) to ensure that its newly launched service charter translates into improved, accessible and responsive services for members of the public.

Speaking in Lusaka during the launch of the NPA Service Charter and the inaugural National Prosecution Authority Day, Dr Kalabo said the charter demonstrates the NPA’s commitment to professionalism, impartiality, efficiency and accountability, while opening the institution to public scrutiny.

“The real measure of success will not simply be that the charter has been launched, it will be where citizens experience sustainable improvement in the quality, accessibility and responsiveness of the services provided,” he said.

Dr Kalabo said the charter should guide how victims and witnesses are treated, how members of the public are engaged, how cases are managed and how procedural decisions are made.

He has since commended the NPA for decentralising its services across all 10 provinces, saying access to justice should not be perceived as a privilege available only in Lusaka and other major urban centres.

Dr Kalabo further encouraged the NPA to strengthen its outreach programmes, including engagement with schools and communities, to provide information and public education closer to citizens.

And Attorney General, Mulilo Kabesha, has urged officers at the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) to uphold the rule of law and respect the rights of accused persons in the execution of their mandate.

Mr Kabesha said prosecution is conducted on behalf of the people, stressing that accused persons are also part of the people whose rights must be protected.

He said the launch of the NPA Service Charter is important for the nation as it provides a framework of how the authority should conduct its work in the public interest.

The Attorney General added that the NPA must ensure that prosecution is based on evidence and carried out professionally, fairly and in accordance with the law.

“Bear in mind that the person you are prosecuting is part of the people, that is why justice is important and the rights of the accused must be respected,” he said.

Meanwhile, Director of Public Prosecution Gilbert Phiri, stressed that the effectiveness of the charter will depend on how NPA staff implement it in their daily work.

Mr Phiri called on prosecutors to ensure that no person is subjected to preferential treatment because of their status, influence or resources.

“We prosecute, we do not persecute. That is what independence means in practice,” he said.

He said the NPA should continue building an institution that is closer to the people and the one that embraces technology, develops its personnel and works effectively with investigators and other justice-sector institutions.

Mr Phiri also urged prosecutors to remain uncompromising on corruption and ethical misconduct, saying public confidence in the justice system must be earned every day.