Sat, 05 Aug 2017 10:27:35 +0000
By CHARLES MUSONDA
I WILL stand by my statement that police acted unprofessionally during the Mongu Presidential motorcade incident which subsequently led to the arrest of UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema and five others for treason, PF Deputy Secretary General Mumbi Phiri has testified in court.
Testifying in a case where she has complained against Lusaka business executive Asher Hakantu for libel, Ms. Phiri also told the court that she did not instruct police officers to act in a certain manner in the course of their duties.
It is alleged that Mr Hakantu caused publishing of defamatory words against Ms. Phiri on a whatsapp group where he posted a message suggesting that she allegedly sacrificed her son in the 2005 Kawambwa Boys road accident to get political stardom.
She said the press briefing at which she wondered why the police were taking long to arrest
Mr. Hichilema when there was enough evidence against him, had nothing to do with the UPND leader’s arrest on April 11, 2017.
Ms. Phiri said the police arrested Mr. Hichilema according to their professional analysis and not as a result of her statement at the press briefing. In cross examination before Magistrate Nchimunya Simaubi, Ms Phiri said she did not tell the court who the administrator of the whatsapp group, dubbed “we need a better Zambia,” was and she did not know him or her.
Ms. Phiri said she had exited the group several times but someone kept on adding her without her consent. She said according to stories that were circulating, Mr. Hichilema privatised parastatals. This was in response to defence lawyer Keith Mweemba who asked her to read a story in the Daily Nation quoting her on Mr. Hichilema’s involvement in the privatisation exercise.
Ms Phiri was also asked to read another article in the Daily Nation where she allegedly wondered why police were delaying to arrest and charge Hichilema with treason.
She also admitted commenting on the whatsapp group about Mr. Hichilema’s wife Mutinta whom she said was dramatising her husband’s arrest for treason.
She admitted that there was no documentary evidence before court to prove allegations against Mr Hakantu and that she had not named a single individual who had shunned her because of the alleged defamatory words.
When asked to confirm whether police had sent more than 600 police officers to Mongu during the Kuomboka ceremony, Ms Phiri said she could not confirm because she did not work for the Police Service.
And ZNBC sales officer, Elijah Kaputa told the court that he was touched with the words that were uttered by Mr Hakantu on the whatsapp group against Ms Phiri. The matter comes up on August 10, 2017 for continued trial.
