(TIMES ZM) Siliya’s house searched

Siliya’s house searched
Police, DEC ACC swing into action
By Times Reporter

A COMBINED team of Zambia Police Service, Drug Commission Enforcement (DEC), and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday searched former Education minister’s house Dora Siliya.

Police service spokesperson Elizabeth Kanjela refused to comment on the search, but said a comprehensive statement would be issued after conclusion of investigations which she did not elaborate.

The officers who took more than an hour at Ms Siliya’s residence, number 411 Independence Avenue, later drove off to unknown destination. Some of the officers in the search group were from Woodlands Police Station. Ms Siliya and her lawyer Sakwiba Sikota, who were present during the time of the search, refused to comment on the matter. Some police sources also said they could not give any details, saying they were still investigating the matter and would only do so after conclusion.

Meanwhile, Ms Siliya’s lawyer Sikota yesterday threatened to take legal action against journalists that were filming and getting pictures of Ms Siliya’s house. All the journalists were barred from witnessing the search of Ms Siliya’s residence, but when Mr Sikota noticed that some of them were filming the place from the gate he said he would take legal action against them.

“What you are doing is illegal, you cannot be filming private property without permission. “When we see that clip, we are going to sue the organisation that will show it,” he said.

Mr Sikota refused to give an interview to journalists who had gathered outside Ms Siliya’s house, saying they had “messed up” by invading private property. He said before driving off that “if you had not invaded and respected people’s privacy we would have talked.”