Sat, 02 Sep 2017 10:13:26 +0000
By Aaron Chiyanzo
3rd Liberation Movement (3rd LM) president Enoch Tonga has charged that Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba and his boss, Hakainde Hichilema, should stop hiding behind medicals and face the law in court.
The opposition leader also charged that Mr Mwamba, United Party for National Development (UPND) vice president for administration could be toying with courts by pretending to have gone to South Africa for medical treatment when, in fact, he was arranging meetings for his boss Mr Hichilema to denounce the country.
Mr Tonga said that the courts should be watchful of UPND vice president for administration, Mr Mwamba and his president, Mr Hichilema whom he accused of deliberately avoiding court sessions on the pretext that they were both sick but were busy engaging in public activities.
He noted that Mr Mwamba, popularly known as GBM had been cowardly giving excuses whenever his court cases were scheduled to be heard.
Mr Hichilema, who was supposed to be on bed rest after giving that as reason for missing court on Monday, was busy at the Cathedral the very next day and then flew to South Africa for a number of public engagements which included a press briefing and an appearance in the South African parliament in Cape Town.
Mr Tonga reiterated that GBM was toying with courts and that his recent evacuation to South Africa to seek medical attention was now questionable because he was part of Mr Hichilema’s team at the press conference in South Africa.
He wondered how someone who was as seriously ill as the court was made to believe could be engaging in public events when they were supposedly on bed rest.
“GBM will embarrass the courts if they continue tolerating cowardly excuses. He was seen on Hakainde’s entourage when he had missed a court hearing, saying he was out to receive medical attention.
“That could be just a trick. He could actually be toying with courts. It is clear that he went to South Africa to arrange meetings for his boss,” he said.
Mr Tonga wondered how a person who had missed a court hearing and went out of the country for medical attention would be at the forefront of a political entourage.
He warned that the judicial system risked being discredited and undermined if the courts continued tolerating Mr Mwamba and Mr Hichilema’s maneuvers.
