Wed, 14 Jun 2017 11:07:29 +0000
By CHIKUMBI KATEBE
POLICE have not yet identified the driver of the black Mark II that was abandoned at the scene of the crime in the attack on the Electoral Commission of Zambia officers following the August 2016 general elections.
Police Senior Superintendent Arthur Shonga yesterday told the Lusaka High Court that investigations into the incident of 14th August, 2016 have failed to identify the individual who was driving the vehicle on the material day.
He said officers at the crime scene investigations did not get fingerprint evidence from the steering wheel or the car interior to ascertain the identity of persons who could have been driving it.
This was in the continued trial of former Lusaka Minister Obvious Mwaliteta and four other accused persons who appeared in court yesterday on charges of aggravated robbery and assault in relation to the incident of August 14, 2016 outside ECZ.
Mr Shonga explained that the black Mark II that was discovered at the scene turned out to belong to Fred Hamaaba, who was also the owner of a mobile phone discovered inside the vehicle.
High Court Justice Dancewell Bowa heard that none of the stolen items from the attack have been recovered including the mobile phone which the officer said has been off from the time it was stolen.
Defence lawyer Keith Mweemba questioned the police witness on whether they ever tried to trace the mobile phone that went missing after it was reported stolen, Mr Shonga said none of the items stolen was ever recovered.
“The phone that was reported stolen has not yet been recovered because it has remained off since it went missing,” Mr Shonga said.
Earlier, defence counsel was lectured on referring to the 2016 general election as being free and fair when he said the declaration ignored the fact that some Gen. 12 forms reported went missing following the attack.
And Mr Shonga disclosed yesterday that police did not use any video footage from the ECZ security systems because there was no need. He explained that there was already evidence to confirm their investigations and he did not see reason to view the video footage from the scene.
And asked whether police have managed to identify and recovered the minibus reported to have been among the attackers’ vehicles, the witness explained that they have failed to locate the vehicle whose occupants remain unknown.
