Maravi

Police detain Chiluba’s aide

Police detain Chiluba’s aide
By Chibaula Silwamba and Namatama Mundia
Thu 18 Nov. 2010, 04:02 CAT

POLICE yesterday detained and interrogated former president Frederick Chiluba’s spokesman Emmanuel Mwamba over alleged contempt of court.

The detention follows Judge Gregory Phiri’s call for a quick and thorough investigation to identify the author and publisher of "contemptuous and scandalous" articles relating to the Mathew Mohan trial circulating on the Zambian Watchdog website.

Mwamba was detained at Woodlands Police Station after an hour's questioning at Police Service Headquarters.

Mwamba arrived at Service Headquarters at 9:35am in the company of his lawyer John Sangwa and was questioned until about 10:30am when plain clothes police officers took him to Woodlands.

In an interview shortly before he was taken to Woodlands Police Station, Mwamba denied he was the author of the articles published on the Zambian Watchdog website.

“They police officers claim their investigations are leading to me so they have a duty to arrest and present me before court, so we are going to Woodlands Police Station,” Mwamba said. Asked if he was the author of the alleged contemptuous articles, Mwamba responded: “No, I am not.”

After about 30 minutes of discussion between his lawyers and police officers at Woodlands, Mwamba was ordered to take off his shoes and belt and surrender his cell phone and other personal effects because he was to be detained.

Shortly after Sangwa left Woodlands Police Station, Mwamba was taken to the police cells.
In the afternoon, state prosecutors, defence lawyers in the Mohan case, police officers, Mwamba and his lawyers, met judge Phiri in chambers for more than an hour after which the matter was adjourned to 10.30 this morning and Mwamba was transferred to Lusaka Central Prison.

Last week, Supreme Court judge Phiri, sitting as High Court judge, ordered authorities to investigate and trace the author and publisher of alleged "contemptuous and scandalous" articles on the Mohan trial that were circulating on the Zambian Watchdog website.

Labels: COURTS, EMMANUEL MWAMBA, FREDERICK CHILUBA

posted by MrK @ 5:14 PM