By CHARLES MUSONDA
THE State has closed its case in which National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Chishimba Kambwili is charged with defamation of the President for allegedly referring to President Lungu as a dog from Chawama compound.
Testifying as last prosecution witness yesterday, arresting officer Stephen Nkowani said a person who recorded the video in which Kambwili made the remarks in August 2019 is not known and that the gadget used to record it was not examined.
In cross examination by defence lawyer Keith Mweemba, Mr. Nkowani said Kambwili uttered the words in Bemba and that a translator translated them into English.
He said President Lungu is not mentioned in the indictment and that the price of mealie meal was not K150 per 25 kilogram bag at the time Kambwili uttered the words.
Mr. Nkowani said he did not have anything to show that Agriculture minister Michael Katambo did not say that the price of mealie meal had doubled to K150 in August 2019 from K75 at the start of the year.
This was after Mr. Mweemba showed him an online publication in which Mr. Katambo was quoted.
The witness disputed that the mealie meal price had increased to K150 and that he did not know satire and a satirical expression, which he said he did not bother to investigate because he did not see the need to investigate the angle of figurative speech.
The case comes up on April 6, 2021 for ruling on whether or not Kambwili has a case to answer.
Author
