Thu, 16 Mar 2017 09:30:04 +0000
By BENNIE MUNDANDO
ZAMBIAN security wings should immediately start the process of extraditing Fred M’membe from wherever he is so that he can come and answer to criminal charges he is facing, the National Revolution Party (NRP) has charged.
NRP president Cozmo Mumba told the Daily Nation that he expected Mr. M’membe to avail himself to security wings just as he had promised so that he could face charges laid against him rather than seeking asylum in other countries.
Dr. Mumba said there was no need for Mr. M’membe to run away from Zambia owing to the charges he was facing because he remained a Zambian despite his predicament and that running away was not a solution.
He wondered why Mr. M’membe had decided to run away when he had always claimed that he was innocent and even promised Zambians that he was coming back to Zambia since the warrant of arrest was made against him.
“Our security wings should immediately start the process of extraditing Mr. M’membe from wherever he is hiding so that he can come back home and face the charges levelled against him. As far as we are concerned, any person is innocent until proved guilty and we believe running away from a warrant of arrest is not the best thing to do.
“If Mr. M’membe cannot come home on his own, let the system facilitate his coming back so that he can be tried. No one is saying that he is guilty and there is no need for anyone to seek asylum in another country when no one has condemned him. He has told us time without number that he is innocent and so, we expect him to come home and prove it,” Dr. Mumba said.
Mr M’membe sneaked out of the country mid-last month after a tip off about his impending arrest for disobeying lawful court orders to surrender all the assets of the Post Newspaper now in liquidation contrary to section 127 of the Penal Code chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.
According to the warrant of arrest from the court, Mr M’membe is said to have concealed or was privy to the concealing of the property of the Post Newspaper (in liquidation) contrary to sections 353 (I)(b) of the Companies’ Act Cap 388 of the laws of Zambia.
Mr M’membe is also said to have prevented the production of books or papers affecting or relating to the property or affairs of the Post Newspaper (in liquidation) contrary to section 353 (I) (f) of the Companies’ Act Cap 388 of the laws of Zambia.
After his wife was arrested for tearing the warrant of arrest for her husband, Mr. M’membe, who was believed to have travelled to USA or Jamaica at that time, issued a statement saying he was coming back home to answer to charges levelled against him but he has been conspicuously missing since then with no trace of his whereabouts.
