Maravi

Cops to slap ‘PF cadres’ with contempt charge

Cops to slap ‘PF cadres’ with contempt charge
Written by Mwala Kalaluka
Thursday, September 10, 2009 4:02:47 AM

POLICE intend to slap a contempt of court charge on eight suspected PF cadres they arrested during Monday’s continued hearing of the case where Post news editor has been charged for circulating obscene matters.

The lawyer representing the eight, Matthew Pikiti, told The Post yesterday that the police informed him that they were charging the group with contempt of court. Pikiti said this was the information they received from the criminal investigation officer at Kabwata Police station, a Mr Mbale, as of yesterday.

“But they have not yet finalised. We want them to release them on police bond and they (police) are saying they have no objection but that they still want to extract statements from them,” Pikiti said.

He said the eight had been accused of displaying a banner within the court premises.

“But they never displayed the banner anywhere,” he said. “Actually one of the boys they arrested was going to the toilet and someone said he had a banner and they followed him into the toilet. So it is like fishing whatever they want to fish out. The police appear not to be behaving professionally.”

Pikiti said there was no way people that had not misbehaved within the court premises could be arrested and charged for contempt of court.

Following a clash involving MMD and PF cadres at the Lusaka magistrates’ court recently, chief resident magistrate Charles Kafunda directed that no political activities would be tolerated on or about the court premises.

Magistrate Kafunda’s directive came in the wake of home affairs minister Lameck Mangani’s order that no political cadres should be ferried to the court complex in view of the violent acts.

Labels: CADRES, PF

posted by MrK @ 3:06 AM