Maravi

Court orders d/minister's arrest

Court orders d/minister's arrest
By David Chongo in Solwezi
Mon 07 May 2012, 12:00 CAT

KASEMPA magistrate Geogatus Chisala has issued a bench warrant against local government deputy minister Stephen Masumba for abrogating bail conditions granted to him over a case in which he is charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

Magistrate Chisala issued the second warrant of arrest of Emmanuel Chiyangi, a deputy head teacher of Lalafuta Basic School in Mufumbwe district, who signed the bail for Masumba on May 2.

Earlier, on April 18, 2012, magistrate Chisala issued the first bench warrant against Masumba when court was informed that the deputy minister was in Kasempa on official duty. However, police officers failed to effect the arrest because Masumba had left the district by that time.

It is alleged that Masumba, while driving a motor vehicle registration number ACK 9134 in the Kasempa along the Solwezi-Zambezi road on 26 November, 2010, caused the death of a child named Ackson Moloshi.

He was scheduled to appear before the subordinate court for mention once every month while waiting for instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to commit him to the High Court.

Masumba's docket, case number 3LO/125/10, was sent to Kitwe High Court through Solwezi police and he last appeared in the subordinate court on November 7, 2011.

Police have never brought Masumba's case to court until Wednesday, May 2, 2012 when the prosecution revealed that the docket had gone missing in Kitwe.

This revelation riled magistrate Chisala, who said police were playing on his mind and wondered how the docket could disappear, prompting him to issue the bench warrants for the arrest for the duo.

Labels: CORRUPTION, COURTS

posted by MrK @ 5:07 PM