PRIME TV BOSS RESURFACES

Sat, 02 Sep 2017 10:16:49 +0000

…says he had only wanted his lawyers present during interrogation

By Mukosela Kasalwe

I AM not hiding from the police but freely moving about as the case the police want me for is a civil matter, and I only wanted my lawyers to be present during interrogations which they declined, says Prime Television proprietor Gerald Shawa.

Mr Shawa said he had no reason to go into hiding over a footage the police needed from him.

The footage is believed to be in connection with investigations they are carrying out on acts of suspected damage on public installations. He said he was going about doing his normal daily business.

He said the case in which the police were pursuing him was a civil matter and that he had no reason whatsoever to hide from the police and that he was willing to cooperate with the police but had only requested the police to allow his lawyers to be present at the time.

In an interview yesterday, Mr Shawa complained that the Daily Nation did not contact him earlier on (Thursday) but efforts had proved futile by press time as his mobile phone was unreachable.

“I am around. Right now, I am in Lusaka town centre. I have no reason to hide, the case that the police want me for is a civil matter. I only wanted my lawyers to be present. You should have contacted me earlier before you ran the story,” he said.

Mr Shawa accused the Daily Nation Newspaper of having had received money for them to write such a story about him.

According to the court order, the State was seeking a video footage on the planned illegal activities alleged to be executed by Sialumamba Amon Mweembe, a resident of Kalomo

In an affidavit in support of ex-parte summons for an order to obtain information, pursuant to section 35 of the Anti-Terrorism Act No. 21 of 2007, Elias Banda, a detective inspector, said the office of the Inspector-General of Police was investigating activities of some people in Southern Province who planned to damage government infrastructure such as Bridges, Hospital and some schools within Kalomo.