005054
110.
The Applicant avers that both the Ordinary Bench and the Review Bench of the
Supreme Court agreed that the High Court was the proper forum to hear the matter.
The Review Bench further reasoned that there would be a real danger if, it allowed
the High Court to hear the matter on the merits and the High Court reached a
different
position or conclusion from that of the Ordinary Bench.2° The Applicant further alleges
that by truncating
Supreme
Court
the
proceedings
assumed
a
in the
jurisdiction
High
it did
Court,
not
the
have,
Review
thereby
Bench
of the
violating
his
fundamental rights to a fair trial and hearing by an impartial court.
111.
The
Applicant
contends
that based
on the concurring
decision
of the
Review
Bench, the Court cannot be said to have been impartial.
112.
The Respondent State submitted that the Applicant only alluded to the bias on the
part of Justice Dotse, noting that the judgment that the Applicant complained
was
about
unanimously rendered by all eleven (11) judges, including the eight (8) judges
who heard the matter at the Ordinary Bench of Supreme Court. The Respondent State
also contends that the judgment of the Ordinary Bench of the Supreme
Court was
mostly in favour of the Applicant.
113.
The Respondent State avers that the eight (8) judges who sat on both Benches of
the Supreme
Court ruled seemingly in the Applicant's favour at the Ordinary Bench
which prevented the recovery of the money that the Applicant had unconstitutionally
obtained from the State. In this circumstance, the Respondent State questions why
the Applicant now makes an allegation of bias simply because the same judges had
on the second occasion exercised their review powers to order the reimbursement of
the monies paid to him.
20 The Review Bench of the Supreme Court in its judgment ...noted that...As the matters stands now, there
is a real danger that a High Court which is the appropriate forum that this court referred to may itself give a
contrary and conflicting decision quite apart from what this court has given...”.