By NATION REPORTER
TWENTY-TWO police officers on Tuesday took turns in interrogating and questioning Saboi Imboela in a matter in which State House Media Director Clayson Hamasaka has reported the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader to the police for criminal defamation and hate speech.
And sources have revealed that despite Ms Imboela having met all the bail conditions on Tuesday, the police officers who were handling the matter mysteriously disappeared just when her bail was to be signed.
Both Police and family sources from Force Headquarters have revealed that Ms Imboela who is detained at Kabwata Police station was interrogated by 22 police officers on two separate cases of hate speech and criminal defamation against Mr Hamasaka.
The sources said the 22 police officers were methodically assembled in an attempt to tire and wear Ms Imboela down so as to force a submission from her.
They said when Ms Imboela arrived at Police Force headquarters, she was immediately whisked upstairs where, for hours, 12 police officers took turns interrogating her over some of her Facebook postings.
They explained that the first interrogation session was about the allegations of defamation which was suddenly changed to criminal libel and that the idea was to ensure she spent a night in police cells.
The sources narrated that during interrogation, it was realised that it was difficult to break her because according to the sources, the NDC leader was an emotionally strong woman and politician.
It was at that time that the powers that be advised the police to assemble another set of police officers to interrogate her on another matter of hate speech.
They said Ms Imboela was then taken downstairs to another room where 10 police officers were waiting for her.
The 10 were said to have taken turns in questioning her on allegations of hate speech contrary to Section 65 of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act number 2 of 2021 of the Laws of Zambia.
Meanwhile, Mr Isaac Mwanza, governance activist has said it is suspicious that Mr Hamasaka has u-turned from pursuing the defamatory case against Ms Imboela as a civil matter and elevated it to a criminal case leading to her detention.
And Mr. Mwanza said it was disastrous that the police were allowing themselves to be used by people in public offices to fight personal battles instead of focusing their limited workforce and energies on fighting crime which was on the rise in the country.
Mr. Hamasaka last month wrote a letter to Ms Imboela through his lawyer demanding K3 million for publishing alleged defamatory statements published on her Facebook accusing him of nepotism, tribalism, corruption, and being immoral in his marital affairs.
Mr. Mwanza said in an interview that it was suspicious and very unfortunate that Mr. Hamasaka has decided to pursue the matter as a criminal case which he had earlier followed as a civil procedure.
Mr. Mwanza said it was unfortunate that Ms Imboela has been detained for a civil matter which should have simply gone to court.
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