Maravi

Chitimukulu denies having secret detention cells at palace

Chitimukulu denies having secret detention cells at palace
By Willie Sitali in Kasama
Sun 25 July 2010, 04:40 CAT

PARAMOUNT chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba-speaking people in Northern Province has dismissed as false, media reports alleging that he has established detention cells for wrongdoers at his palace. And Chitimukulu has threatened to take legal action against the people spreading lies against him.

Speaking when officers from the provincial Human Rights Commission in Kasama called on him at his palace on last week to verify reports of alleged existence of detention cells, Chitimukulu said it was totally wrong for anyone to claim that he detained suspects at his palace.

He charged that reports of the illegal cells at his palace were highly malicious and baseless.

Chitimukulu has since vowed to expose people behind a scheme to scandalise his name and that of the Bemba Royal Establishment.

He said he was a strong believer in human rights and as such, he would not want to abuse other people’s rights by detaining them against their will.

Chitimukulu said it was unfortunate that some people with ill motives wanted to tarnish his image by fabricating lies against him in the media.

He said he would seek legal redress against the accusations that he was detaining wrongdoers at his palace.

Chitimukulu said he would not rest until the sources of the false information were known to the public.

Earlier, provincial Human Rights Commission coordinator Kebby Malila told Chitimukulu that his team’s impromptu visit to his palace was meant to verify reports of alleged existence of illegal cells at his residence.

Malila, who was accompanied by Chanda Musonda and Grace Sibanda, said his team wanted to establish the truth regarding the allegations against Chitimukulu before coming up with a conclusion on the matter.

He said the Human Rights Commission was mandated by law to carry out inspections of all police cells and prisons in the country, adding that any detention facilities created outside the law were regarded as illegal.

Malila also said the Commission had an obligation to make sure that people’s rights were protected at all cost.

Recently, there were media reports alleging that Chitimukulu had set-up detention cells at his palace for wrongdoers in his chiefdom. /BS/WK

Labels: CHIEF CHITIMUKULU

posted by MrK @ 4:50 AM