Zambia Today

19/07/2022

FAZ LODGES COMPLAINT TO CAF OVER ETHIOPIAN REFEREE

Press Statement
(For Immediate Release)
Football Association of Zambia
Football House, Lusaka
19TH July 2022

FAZ LODGES COMPLAINT TO CAF OVER ETHIOPIAN REFEREE

The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) wishes to inform its stakeholders and football family that it has lodged a formal complaint to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) against the officiating exhibited by Ethiopian referee Lidya Tafesse Abebe during the 2022 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) semi-final match between Zambia and South Africa.
In a complaint letter dated 18th July 2022 addressed to CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba, FAZ general secretary Adrian Kashala advanced six key incidences including the late minute penalty awarded to South Africa.

“We therefore wish to contest against the decision of the referee to award such a penalty resulting in a goal which decided against our team progressing to the finals as we call for a serious review of the game,” read part of the FAZ appeal.
“We call for the penalty to be cancelled, that a replay be ordered and that the referee be barred from handling any games.”

Kashala says FAZ opted to file a complaint as Zambia suffered similar injustices in their quarterfinal victory over Senegal.

“We have further noted with great concern the poor officiating that characterised the tournament specifically our games. We recorded similar incidents of poor match officiating by referees who have gone scot-free among them referee Bouchra Karboubi who has continued to handle games at the tournament as if nothing happened,” he said.

Kashala said casting a blind eye to the multiple horrendous refereeing decisions would be perpetuating the injustice caused by the referee.

For and on behalf of:

FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA
Sydney Mungala
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

09/07/2022

Editor, Zambia Today

I read you story about ZRA officials entering wrong details on motor vehicle clearance certificate. I have a similar situation where a dot was added to the chassis number and RTSA refused to register it until an amendment is done which involves payment. During this process I met two others who had similar issues of wrong entry. So l think this issue should be followed up as it is a deliberate move of inviting corruption because the process of amending a document takes long. So am requesting your organization to investigate this
Concerned citizen

01/07/2022

Nakachinda one up on Parliament

Patriotic Front Member of the Central Committee, Raphael Nakachinda is one up on the Speaker and Parliament.

Nakachinda is right, parly presiding officers need checking

By John Phiri
Patriotic Front Member of the Central Committee Raphael Nakachinda is right to defiantly maintain that parliamentary presiding officers, including the Speaker, are not above reproach.
This is not necessarily a negative disposition towards the presiding officers but simply a note to caution the whole country to maintain alertness regarding the common human foibles that may become apparent as they perform their functions.
Since Nakachinda is still appearing before parliament, comment on the substance of the comments that caused him to be summoned will be restricted.
But the point he raised in his comments to the media within the grounds of parliament, shortly after his appearance, cannot be ignored. Neither can we gloss over officers who tried to curtail his interraction with the media.
Thankfully, Nakachinda is too aware of his rights as a citizen and challenged the officers regarding their assertion that he was not allowed to conduct "a media interview within parliament grounds".
Obviously, the security officers at parliament are under the same illusion as their presiding officers - that parliamentary privilege means this institution supersedes the right of citizens to check how elected officials are handling their role in the governance structure of the country.
Hence their penchant to frown upon every observation, comment or criticism of their performance, and contrive schemes to slot such into their narrowly defined view of contempt.
The higher view is that performance of members of parliament and their presiding officers should be assessed based primarily on how well they are checking the operations of the Executive in pursuing the development aspirations of citizens.
Secondly, members of the House should also be assessed on how well they represent their constituencies that have given them the privilege of sitting in parliament.
In the case of presiding officers, especially the Speaker, this means their guidance of proceedings and rulings on matters will attract very special scrutiny.
And when citizens raise concerns about how members of parliament and presiding officers handle a particular matter, the House must have capacity to contextualise criticism, and avoid the heavy-handed, intimidatory approach of characterising all criticism as being aimed at preventing members from performing their parliamentary duties, and hence contemptuous.
To be contemptuous, comments should be so egregiously insulting of the person of a member of parliament or presiding officer, and clearly out of context of the matter at hand.
And yes, as Nakachinda keeps pointing out, parliamentary presiding officers are not above reproach, just the same way as the Republican President is not. If the President can be criticised, and the Judiciary has also said judges' rulings and judgments are not beyond criticism, there is no reason why performance of parliamentary officers should not come under "the binoculars".
But an ideal interface of parliament with citizens will not come about because the House alone wishes it, citizens must demand it.
Unfortunately, Zambia appears to be held captive by a collective intellectual indolence that allows very significant developments to be left unattended until they have festered into national crises.
Even when a matter is as painfully obvious as the Speaker's ruling of Patriotic Front Acting President Given Lubinda in contempt of herself, it is strange that there has been no serious examination of both the actual content of the alleged contemptuous statements, accuracy and appropriateness of the "sentence", or impact of the outcome on the public's perception of the business of the House.
In the circumstances, the Speaker's ruling of Lubinda's comments as contempt should not have been the last word on this matter, for many reasons. By now legal and other minds should have guided the nation on what the Speaker's ruling in this matter portends - is Zambia's parliament using privilege to intimidate the public so that the conduct of its business is insulated from scrutiny, and even censure?
Was the Speaker well served by her staff involved in the research that informed her decision?
Could it be that the Speaker's staff misconstrued what was merely hyperbolic political speak by an opposition party leader, smarting from a decision that had booted nearly a dozen of his members out of parliament?
In the next article, the substance of this interaction between Lubinda and the Speaker will be examined.
ends credit Weekly Peoples Report

http://www.weeklypeoplesreport.com/nakachinda-is-right-parly-presiding-officers-need-checking/

By John Phiri Patriotic Front Member of the Central Committee Raphael Nakachinda is right to defiantly maintain that parliamentary presiding officers, including the Speaker, are not above reproach.…

23/06/2022

PAMELA CHISUMPA IS STILL ALIVE

…as Mwiimbu says there has been communication between Pamela, Police and relatives

By Nelson Zulu

ABDUCTED mobile money agent, Pamela Chisumpa is still alive as there has been communication between herself, police and her relatives, Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister, Jack Mwiimbu has disclosed.

And Mwiimbu has revealed that there has been little progress done in finding Pamela who went missing almost 70 days ago after she was allegedly abducted from her mobile money booth along the Cairo Road in Lusaka.

Speaking in Parliament, Thursday, Mwiimbu said Pamela is alive because a week ago there was communication between herself, the police and her relatives.

“According to the information we have, Pamela is still alive, we are aware that a week ago there was communication between Pamela, the Police and relatives. We are still investigating all we are failing to do is to know the place where she is because they are using different gadgets,” he said.

Mwiimbu said this when Nkana Member of Parliament Christopher Kang'ombe wanted to find out the health of Pamela and whether she was still alive.

And Mwiimbu said nobody has been arrested and charged for an offence of abduction of Pamela as nobody among the eight who were detained were directly connected to the abduction.

“Madam Speaker I would like to state that as at this morning today, no person has been charged of the offence of abduction of Pamela, all the suspects whom we had arrested, upon investigations it was realized that they were not directly connected to the offence of abduction of Pamela. Hence the charges that were leveled against them which are different from the intended charges which we wanted to raise against them, hence the issue of theft. The police are still investigating the matter, with the support of many security wings and agencies. We are determined to bring the culprits to book. But so, far we have not made any serious headway apart from those arrests which have hinted,” he said.

Mwimbu said certain criminal elements taking place in the country were alien like abduction and kidnaping.

He said such crime in Zambia were a new phenomenal, adding that even in areas where such acts take place investigations took long to conclude as such crimes were too sophisticated and difficulty. These are sophisticated criminals, I have no doubt in my mind that at an appropriate time we shall make a head way,” he said.

Mwiimbu said this after issuing a statement in parliament on the progress made in arresting people involved in the abductions of mobile money agents in the country.

He said this when PF’s Shiwang’andu Member of Parliament, Steven Kampyongo wanted to know how many people have been arrested for the abduction of Pamela.

“Honorouble Minister I will take you back to Pamela’s abduction, in your statement you have indicated that eight suspects were initially arrested, four were released and you have four other suspect other suspects charged for theft for gadgets and some of the gadgets are phones that belonged to Pamela, who then has been charged for the case of abduction in this matter? And what is the final fate of Pamela?” asked Kampyongo.

19/06/2022

DEC ARRESTS A NIGERIAN MAN AS WELL AS FIVE OTHERS FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING

A Nigerian national has been arrested by The Drug Enforcement Commission -DEC-for trafficking in over one kilogram of suspected co***ne and high grade cannabis.

According to DEC Public Relations Officer MATHIAS KAMANGA, 46-year-old suspect was arrested following a raid at his house in Garden House area of Lusaka.

Speaking to ZNBC News in Lusaka, Mr. KAMANGA said in that the raid on the suspect’s house was conducted this morning.

On the other news, the DEC has seized a house and a vehicle from suspects of drug trafficking who were found with various drugs in Lusaka today.

Mr. KAMANGA says in Lusaka’s Libala South area, the commission has seized a house and arrested two sisters who were found with one kilogram of suspected heroine and 40 grams of co***ne.

Mr. KAMANGA says two other suspects of Mtendere and one of Chipata Compound have also been arrested and their Subaru vehicle seized when they were about to sale suspected heroine at Downtown Shopping Mall.

He says the suspects are part of a drug trafficking cartel which the commission has been trailing for some time.

Source: ZNBC

19/06/2022

A 17-year-old boy of Chimwemwe Township in Kitwe has been placed on 12-months probation after he admitted to having had unlawful s*x and impregnating a 12-year-old girl.

The juvenile has been charged with Defilement contrary to the laws of Zambia.

Allegations were that on dates unknown ,but between the months of May 2021 and June 2021,the juvenile had unlawful carnal knowledge of the 12-year-old.

When the matter came up before Kitwe Chief Resident Magistrate Malota Phiri for Plea,the juvenile admitted to having had unlawful carnal knowledge of the girl.

According to facts brought before the court, it was heard that the juvenile had s*x with the girl three times on different occasions in the months of May and June last year,in the juveniles parents house when he was home alone.

The incident occured when the girl visited the juvenile boy after befriending each other and later on the girl visited the juvenile ,hence leading to the incident.

The social welfare department pleaded with the court to exercise leniency on the juvenile stating that the stage the juvenile had reached in terms of years,is a phase when they develop differently and become too adventurous hence leading to such events.

The department also reaveled that the two families had already sat and came to agreement that a sum of K50,000 was to be paid as damages and this was to be done in a monthly installment of K5,000.

The department also recommend for the two families to reconcile for there is a child on the way hence the need for both families to co-parent their children.

And magistrate Phiri encouraged the juvenile to engage himself into skillfull activities that will bring in income as it will be his responsibility to look after the baby.

Magistrate Phiri said he was giving him a second chance ,but that he needed to reform and undergo counseling under the department of social welfare.

The juvenile was then placed on 12-months probation.

18/06/2022

ZAMTEL IN A LOSS MAKING VENTURE - MUTATI

Technology and Science Minister Felix Mutati has disclosed that Zamtel is in a loss-making venture as a business, with about 90 percent of its revenue being utilized for administrative expenses.

Mr Mutati said government will however, not recapitalize Zamtel because it has other priorities it intends to spend its resources such as funding the teacher and health-workers recruitment, Constituency Development Fund and youth empowerment.

Mr Mutati said estimates show that Zamtel currently needs a sum of US$265 million in order to survive as a company by way of investing in its co-networks, infrastructure and other business support services.

Mr Mutati said this is in exception of a staggering debt of around K3 billion and the over $500 million owed to Lapgreen, without taking into account other liabilities.

He said Zamtel as a company has a deficit on working capital ranging around K1 billion with its balance sheet unable to support programs such as maintenance of current infrastructure, expansion and modernization, a key issue requiring to be addressed urgently.

Speaking today when he visited the Zamtel premises, Mr Mutati said no matter how well-written a letter requesting funding may be, government is unable to finance Zamtel because if the right resource envelope at Ministry of Finance.

The said Zamtel now needs to find an answer to its insolvency beginning with where it will find the $265 million required for survival.

The minister said President Hakainde Hichilema was clear when he launched the public-private dialogue forum recently that there is need for government entities to be consultative with the private sector in order to find solutions to their problems, hence the need for Zamtel to take advantage of such clear government policy in order to construct sustainable solutions.

"Go there and think, dialogue and find innovative solutions particularly the $265 million need, then give us a roadmap to implement a solution. That solution will then be referred to the steering committee chaired by the President. We need to find solutions and that should be our target" Mr Mutati said.

He said the Minister of Finance has his hands tied for him to begin financing Zamtel's operations as he has to deliver value to the people.

"If it means we need to cut some limbs in order to save the life of Zamtel, so be it because that is where the solution for Zamtel lies. Let's not take it as an easy conversation" the minister told Zamtel Managing Director.

05/06/2022

Ummm 🤔

03/06/2022

Judge Sunday Nkonde fired

03/06/2022

" PLUNDER IN ZAMBIA'

24/05/2022

Woman pulls life out of hubby

A 21-year-old man of Nangoma has died after his wife allegedly pulled and squeezed his ge****ls in self-defence during a fight.

It is believed that Chrispine Kandela picked up a fight with his 19-year-old wife, Annie Mweemba, around 01:00 hours after he returned home from a drinking spree.

Central Province acting commanding officer Dennis Moola said attempts by Mr Kandela’s mother, Esther, to stop the fight failed.

Mr Moola said as Mr Kandela allegedly kept beating his wife, she reached out for his ge****ls and squeezed them.

“Even with his mother’s involvement, the fight did not end and his wife pulled the private parts and he screamed in pain. He fell down on the ground and became unconscious,” Mr Moola said.

He said Mr Kandela was rushed to Miyoye Clinic, where he was pronounced dead.

Credit: Zambia Daily Mail

23/05/2022

Dr Tasila died from physical assault, pathologist tells court

Credit - The Mast

19/05/2022

Police arrest 3 Lusaka women who "r***d themselves"

POLICE in Lusaka have today arrested three women who filed a false report of being abducted, r***d and robbed.

Early this week, the trio while appearing on Spring TV demonstrated great talent and skill of narrating events that never took place as they recited rehearsed tales of how they were attacked on a bus, abducted and taken to the crime-plagued Chibolya Compound where they were all r***d and robbed off K3, 200.

After concocting the false story the bevy which includes Tanaka Nkandu aged 29 of Chilenje South, Dorica Mbewe aged 25 of Kalingalinga and Isabel Stevens aged 28 of Libala South then went and filed a report at Embassy Police Post on May 9, 2022.

However, after investigations police found the report to be bogus and have since charged the trio with Giving False Information to a Public Officer Contrary to Section 125 (a) Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

They are currently in police detention awaiting court appearance.

In a statement this afternoon, Inspector General of Police Lemmy Kajoba said there are some people who wanted to create a seemingly unsafe environment in the country by reporting false abduction cases and posting them on social media.

"This is despite us the Zambia Police Service having repeatedly warned people against engaging in this criminal act. What we have so far observed through our investigations is that most of these persons reporting these false abduction cases have an element of wanting to either extort money from their relatives or defraud their employers," Kajoba stated.

Kajoba said Zambia Police Service had continued investigating and have placed the case of the alleged abduction of Pamela Chisumpa as a priority.

"We shall not rest until her whereabouts are known and we are using all legal means at our disposal to resolve this matter," stated Kajoba.

Kalemba May 19, 2022

17/05/2022

Muhanga terminates Simukonda's contract

By Ernest Chanda

TOURISM permanent secretary Evans Muhanga has terminated the contract for director of national parks and wildlife Dr Chuma Simukonda.

Muhanga recently cancelled hunting concession agreements signed in December 2020, against advice from Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha.

Dr Simukonda is said to have also advised Muhanga to follow the Attorney General's legal advice.

In a letter to Dr Simukonda dated May 13, 2022, Muhanga did not give reasons for termination of the contract.

"STAFF RENEWAL AND TERMINATION OF CONTRACT: YOURSELF.
Reference is made to the above-captioned matter. I wish to inform you that the Civil Service Commission, acting in the name and on behalf of His Excellency the President, has directed that:
(a)Your contract - National Parks and Wildlife (M) be deemed to have been received for a further tour of service of two (2) years with effect from 1st January, 2019 to 31st December, 2021," reads the letter in part. "(b) be deemed to have been extended with effect from 1st January, 2022 to 13th May 2022; and (c) be terminated with effect from 13th May, 2022 which should be your last day of duty. I wish to thank you for the services rendered to Government and wish you success in your future endeavours."

Last month, Muhanga cancelled safari hunting concession agreements signed in 2020, against the advice of Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha, as the hunting season opened on May 1, 2022.

Instead, he ordered a readvertisement of the same in his memorandum to director of national parks and wildlife in the Ministry of Tourism Dr Simukonda dated April 22, 2022.

According to the Attorney General’s advice in a letter dated January 5, 2022 addressed to President Hakainde Hichilema on tender No. MTA/SP/001/2020, there was nothing illegal about the tender and that cancelling it would attract law suits against the government.
“Your Excellency, I find it pertinent to make an appointment with you and explain the legal implications relating to the subject matter. Your Excellency, prior to meeting you [I] wish to bring it to your attention through this letter that I received a letter from the Ministry of Tourism and Arts reference No. MTA/54/14/2 dated 15th December, 2021 in which the Ministry was seeking a legal opinion on the cancellation of Hunting Concession Agreements (hereinafter referred to as ‘HCAs’,” Kabesha wrote. “The circumstances that engendered the opinion is attributed to your directive to the Minister and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism to the effect that the ex*****on of the HCAs must be halted and that the negotiated HCAs must be cancelled.”

He cited formalities which prescribe a genuine hunting concession agreement and advised that once they are met then the tender remains legal.

Citing case law, Kabesha advised against cancelling the agreements as that would attract legal suits on government and subsequent loss of income through compensations to the affected parties.

“Your Excellency, once all these formalities are met, the contract or contracts come into being. According to the Procuring Entity all these procedures were met which resulted in the HCAs being approved,” explained Kabesha. “In the case of National Drug Company Limited and Zambia Privatisation Agency v Mary Katongo, the Supreme Court held that: ‘It is trite law that once the parties have voluntarily and freely entered into a legal contract, they become bound to abide by the terms of the contract and that the role of the court is to give efficacy to the contract when one party has breached it by respecting, upholding and enforcing the contract.’ In view of the cited case and in the absence of cogent evidence of infringement of section 69 (1), it becomes legally unsustainable to terminate the HCAs. Any attempt to effect will undoubtedly lead to law suits against Government which is striving to resuscitate the economy of the country and at the same time creating an enabling environment for investment and respect of the law. I humbly render my advice.”

Specifically, the affected hunting concession agreements include the following:
Musungwa and Shezongo Community Resources Board and JVZ Safaris Limited, relating to safari hunting rights in Nkala Hunting Block in Nkala game management area.
Nabwalya Community Resources Board and Kuwama Safaris Limited, relating to Safari hunting rights in Nabwalya Hunting Block in Nabwalya Game Management Area.
Malama and Kakumbi Community Resources Board and Kwalata Safaris Limited, relating to safari hunting rights in Lower Lupande Hunting Block in Lupande Game Management Area.
Chikwa Community Resources Board and Mopani Safaris Limited, relating to safari hunting rights in Chikwa Hunting Block in East Musalangu Game Management Area.
Mulendema Community Resources Board, Chibuluma Community Resources Board, Kabulwebulwe Community Resources Boards and Nedzo Safaris Limited relating to safari hunting rights in Mumbwa West Hunting Block in Mumbwa West Game Management Area.
Chifunda Community Resources Board and Kocango Safaris Limited relating to safari hunting rights in Chifunda Hunting Block in East Musalangu Game Management Area.
Several stakeholders, including good governance activist Brebner Changala, Socialist Party president Fred M’membe, acting PF president Given Lubinda, and State Counsel Sakwiba Sikota, have advised Muhanga against the cancellation, warning that government would pay heavily when bidders sue.
And on May 4, 2022, Muhanga wrote a letter officially informing all the bidders about the cancellation.

03/05/2022

Father of Zambian student who died in China seeks help!

A heartbroken father who lost a son in a road mishap in China last weekend is appealing for monetary support to repatriate the remains of his loved one.

Morgan Mwenya needs to repatriate the body of his son Sampa Mwenya, who was studying civil engineering in China's Zhejiang Province, before meeting his fate on 30th April 2022.

Mwenya is in dire need of help to fly the remains of hie loved one back into the country because alternative means have failed.

"Greetings To The Members of The Public Thru The Name of Lord Jesus Christ.I have lost my beloved son Sampa Mwenya who died on 30th April 2022, on road mishap in China. My son was a student studying Civil Engineer in China on self sponsorship, he wasn't on Government bursary," he said.

Mwenya has reportedly failed to get Government help.

"Today the 3rd May 2022 we went to the Ministry Of Foreign Affairs and Vice President office To Seek Government help for the repatriation of Samp's remains from China to Zambia: but the Government has declined that it doesn't have any provision to facilitate the repatriation of any person who dies outside the country.

"Kindly I'm humbly asking any well wishers who to come in and help me to bring the body of my son to Zambia; I will appreciate any contribution, it will go a long way since I do not have the capacity to bring the remains of my son home. God will reward you in JESUS mighty nameMy full names are;Morgan Mwenya cell 0977656662/ 0965060074”.

©NKANI, 2022

30/04/2022

CHILE 1 SHOT DEAD

Kitwe Businessman allegedly shot dead by wife!

Prominent Kitwe Businessman Richard Chileshe commonly known as Chile 1 has allegedly been shot dead by his wife.

Sources have told that Chile 1 was shot dead at around 02:30 this morning after a misunderstanding with his wife.

His wife is currently detained at Riverside police station.

27/04/2022

Mentally Unstable Woman Abandoned By Family Gets Daily Visits From Her Dog

A mentally unstable woman who gets daily visits from her dog has caught the attention of residents around the area where she stays.

A resident took photos of the dog playing with the mentally unstable woman and revealed that the dog visits the woman every night.

The resident added that the woman’s family and friends have abandoned her but the dog checks on her whenever it’s freed for the night.
See photos;

23/04/2022

ABOUT TRUTH AND DECEIT: HOW TO TELL THEM APART

By Sean Tembo - PeP President

1. The nation is currently gripped with a high stakes drama involving the former provisional liquidator of KCM, Mr Milingo Lungu and his lawyers on one hand, and the Republican President Mr Hakainde Hichilema, Vice President Mutale Nalumango, principal private secretary to the President; Bradford Machila, Special Assistant for Legal Affairs; Christopher Mundia Jr, Justice Minister Mulambo Haimbe, Attorney General; Mulilo Kabesha and Solicitor General Marshal Muchende. Right in the middle of this debacle is the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Lilian Shawa - Siyuni and Director General of the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), Mary Chirwa - Tshuma.

2. The contest is quite simple really. Milingo Lungu claims that he met with HH and his team and they agreed that the State will withdraw all charges and additionally enter into an Immunity Agreement with Mr Lungu through the National Prosecutions Authority (NPA) which is headed by the DPP, and in return for that gesture the provisional liquidator would resign his position at KCM. On the other hand, President Hichilema has categorically denied these claims and says him and his Government have never given anyone immunity from prosecution, and that the DPP withdrew Milingo’s charges and further entered into an immunity agreement, out of her own volition. The President further wants the Judicial Complaints Commission (JCC) to discipline the DPP for the misconduct of entering into an immunity agreement with Milingo. Suffice to mention that the JCC is now headed by HH’s longtime ally and financier; Vincent Malambo.

3. The big question which the Zambian people want to be answered is; who is telling the truth? Is it President Hichilema and his team or it is Milingo Lungu? Well, given the fact that the alleged meetings that took place between Mr. Milingo Lungu and President Hichilema were dark corner meetings, none of us might be in a position to say with full certainty who is telling the truth and who is lying. But as a rule of thumb; if it doesn’t make sense, then it’s probably a lie. So let us look at what makes sense and what doesn’t in this entire debacle, and then we can subsequently make some conclusions as to who is probably lying and who is probably telling the truth.

4. Firstly, President Hichilema claims that the DPP entered into a nolle prosequi and dropped charges against Milingo Lungu, and further entered into an Immunity Agreement with Milingo, out of her own volition. Let us examine the veracity of this claim. It is common knowledge that every now and then, the DPP would enter a nolle against certain accused persons, so there is nothing unusual about the nolle itself. It is possible that the DPP indeed entered a nolle in the Milingo Lungu matter, out of her own volition. Next, let us examine the Immunity Agreement. I have had the opportunity to read through the said immunity agreement and it gives Mr. Milingo Lungu protection from current and future prosecution regarding any alleged offenses committed during the time that he was KCM provisional liquidator. This is a huge favor which the NPA did for Mr. Milingo Lungu, so the next logical question is; what did Mr Milingo Lungu do for the State to deserve this big favor?

5. Here, we have two differing submissions. Mr Milingo Lungu claims that he was given an Immunity Agreement in return for him resigning as KCM provisional liquidator, whereas President Hichilema and his team claim that Mr. Milingo Lungu resigned as KCM liquidator out of his own volition and not because of the Immunity Agreement. However, a look at the dates shows that Milingo resigned as KCM liquidator a day after the immunity agreement was signed. It is also common knowledge that the State had made multiple attempts to remove Mr Milingo Lungu as KCM provisional liquidator, and all the attempts had failed. The most recent such attempt was a suspension slapped on Milingo Lungu by the Official Receiver, and then it was later discovered that the Official Receiver had no powers to suspend a court appointed provisional liquidator.

6. So it makes sense that the State would entice Mr Milingo Lungu to resign as KCM provisional liquidator by offering him an Immunity Agreement. Remember the rule of thumb; if it doesn’t make sense, then it’s probably a lie. Milingo Lungu resigning a day after signing the Immunity Agreement makes sense. President Hichilema claiming that Milingo Lungu resigned out of his own volition does not make sense. The DPP entering into an Immunity Agreement with Milingo Lungu, at the request of President Hichilema makes sense. The DPP doing so at her own volition does not make sense. She could have just entered a nolle prosequi and ended there. Why would she go further and even give Milingo immunity from any current or future prosecution?

7. But what about the DEC’s Mary Chirwa. Where does she fit into all this? Immediately after the DPP discharged Milingo through a nolle, DEC officers where waiting outside court and re-arrested Milingo on the same charges. Was Mary Chirwa merely discharging her ordinary law enforcement duties when she re-arrested Milingo Lungu, or she was part of President Hakainde Hichilema’s ploy to embarrass the DPP and portray her as corrupt for entering a nolle prosequi against Milingo and also giving him immunity from prosecution?

8. Here again, let us use our rule of thumb; if it doesn’t make sense, then it’s probably a lie. It is common cause that the NPA works hand in hand with various law enforcement agencies in the discharge of their mandate, including the Zambia Police Service, Drug Enforcement Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission etcetera. When the DPP decides to enter a nolle in a particular matter, it is generally because the NPA believes that there is insufficient evidence to proceed to trial. Therefore, the natural thing that any law enforcement agency would do when the DPP enters a nolle in any of their matters, is to engage the office of DPP and find out what further investigations would need to be undertaken in order to acquire the additional evidence needed to re-instate and prosecute the matter. But Mary Chirwa’s DEC did not do that. They decided to just re-arrest Milingo Lungu right at the entrance of the Courtroom, without any engagement with the NPA. Plus DEC officers do not, as a matter of routine, linger around the magistrates court so that they can re-arrest any accused person who might be given a nolle by the DPP. That means Mary Chirwa knew that the DPP would enter a nolle prosequi against Milingo Lungu on that particular day and at that particular time, and hence she planted her officers there. For a very specific purpose; to make the re-arrest as dramatic as possible.

9. It is also common cause that President Hichilema and his team have been looking for ways and means of getting rid of the DPP and installing their own preferred person. Therefore, it appears that Mr Milingo Lungu’s version of events is more credible than that of President Hichilema. It is evident that President Hichilema and his team saw an opportunity to kill three birds with one stone. Firstly, their ploy would allow them to get rid of Lillian Shawa - Siyuni as DPP. Secondly it would allow them to get rid of Milingo Lungu as KCM provisional liquidator and thirdly, it would allow them to still prosecute Milingo Lungu, once the current DPP is gotten rid of using our man, who is waiting at the JCC. Or so they thought.

10. Personally l do not know whether Lilian Shawa - Siyuni is a good DPP or a bad DPP. But one thing l know for sure is that no DPP deserves to be removed from office using such machinations. In fact, no officer of a country that is a constitutional democracy such as Zambia, deserves to be gotten rid of using such a ploy. If President Hakainde Hichilema and his team want to get rid of Lilian Shawa - Siyuni as DPP, then they need to find other means and ways because the current scheme has been exposed. The President is in a hole right now. And the first thing that any reasonable person should do when they are in a hole is to stop digging. The more that HH and his team pursue this scheme, the deeper the hole they will dig for themselves. Free advice.

///END

SET 23.04.2022