STAFF REPORTER Lesotho opposition parties have written to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) asking for the regional body’s intervention in what they call arbitrary closure of Court of Appeal by the government and thereby collapsing the justice system. “Opposition parties are hopeful that the international community will work towards opening the Court of Appeal whose April session was suspended a fortnight ago,” said Serialong Qoo, Public Relations Officer of the main opposition party, Democratic Congress (DC). He said opposition parties were still awaiting the response of the SADC and the international community on their plea to have an intervention against the suspension of the apex court on grounds that there is no funds. Qoo said as opposition parties they have a feeling that citizens are being denied justice because the Appeal Court is the last resort for those seeking justice. Last week, the Law Society of Lesotho issued a press statement in which it addressed its stance concerning the indefinite postponement of the Court of Appeal. The statement that was signed by the society’s Vice-President Advocate Lehlohonolo Matee read that “it is with great regret the society informs the nation at large that the session of the Court of Appeal that was scheduled to commence on April 15, 2019 has been cancelled and or postponed to an indefinite date and that this fact was brought to the attention of the society by the President of the Court of Appeal earlier this week.” The statement also read that pursuant to Section 4 of the society’s Act of 1983, the society is a key role player in the administration of justice within the Kingdom and that Section 4 (a) of the society’s Act provides that the objectives of the society are to consider, originate and promote reforms and improvements in law, to consider proposed alteration and oppose or support the same, to assist in the administration of justice and to effect improvements in administration or practice of law. The statement further read that it follows therefore that the society, like many other institutions that oil the justice system within the Kingdom, was concerned by the sudden cancellation and/or postponement of the session of the apex court in the land. It also indicated that the postponement has far reaching consequences not only to the society and its members but the entire nation.