Marando's accusations are so serious, the public deserves to know if they're true

Let me now come to the charge of contempt of court. In a normal situation, it’s a charge that only a court of law should make, since it is the injured party, not some third party such as a political party.

To be fair, Chief Justice Agostino Ramadhani has cautioned politicians against discussing in public cases that are still before the courts of law and insisted on the strict observance of the sub judice principle, which seeks to avoid media discussions preempting court decisions. Fair.

But maybe the public needs a little more enlightenment, especially in view of the seriousness of the accusations by Marando and the public interest at stake.

For instance, if the individuals named by Marando are not among those before a court of law, does mentioning them constitute a sub judice infraction?

Also, what guarantees does the public have that sub judice will not be deployed to defeat the ends of justice by keeping a case eternally in the law courts without determination, knowing full well that the media will be stopped from discussing it?
Jenerali Ulimwengu, chairman of the board of the Raia Mwema newspaper, is a political commentator and civil society activist based in Dar es Salaam. jenerali@gmail.com