Arrest cover up fails

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:11:09 +0000

INTENSE pressure was yesterday brought on the Police Command to cover up the arrest and detention of Finance Bank Zambia Limited owner Rajan Mahtani’s aide Zaheeda Essa.

Sources from Police Headquarters said the command was instructed to issue a statement refuting the arrest and detention of Ms. Essa and label the story published by the Daily Nation as false and untrue.

When contacted for a comment Police Public Relations Officer Elizabeth Kanjela denied the arrest of Ms. Essa in an attempt to cover up the arrest to people connected to Mr. Mahtani, saying that she was not arrested.

But according to records obtained at Kabwata Police Station where she was detained on Thursday afternoon by a police officer from Headquarters only indentified as Mr.Mweetwa, Ms. Essa was  facing three charges among them giving false information to a public officer contrary to section 125 of the Penal Code, “False swearing contrary to section 109 of the Penal Code in relation to the affidavit sworn on the 27th June 2012 and criminal libel contrary to section 191 of the Penal code in relation to the allegations of having forced her to make false affidavits and statements, the allegations of blackmail which she caused to be published in the national media and on the internet.”

Ms. Essa was arrested and detained at Kabwata Police Station on Thursday afternoon before she was helped to secure a police bond late in the afternoon.

Earlier in the day on Thursday Ms. Zaheeda who is being represented by Lusaka Lawyer Mumba Kapumpa was summoned at the Police Headquarters to answer to false allegations she made against Lusaka Senior Lawyer Sakwiba Sikota, Lusaka Businessman Ody Mandenakis Snr, Ody Mandenakis Jnr,   Antonio Ventriglia and Mohamed Salama.

According to the records at Kabwata Police Station, Ms. Essa was detained and her Arrests and Prisoners Property Book (APPB) number is 117.

She was arrested and detained by a police officer from Headquarters indentified as a Mr. Mweetwa between 16 and 17:30 before she was bonded.

Her lawyers who were driving X-trail registration number ABZ 1193 were seen giving details to police officers who were  at the inquries desk.

This follows her repudiation of information she gave confirming that Rajan Mahtani used underhand methods to undermine owners of Zambezi Portland Cement who were traumatized by malicious judicial proceedings and have since been deported from Zambia in unclear circumstances.