By CHARLES MUSONDA
FORMER National Democratic Congress (NDC) president Chishimba Kambwili has been acquitted in a case he was charged with contempt of court.
Kambwili was accused of tampering with documents relating to Mwamona Engineering Technical Services Limited (METS) at the Parents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) while the main matter was still active before another court.
Lusaka Magistrate Nsunge Chanda yesterday acquitted Kambwili after she found him innocent of the charge levelled against the former Roan MP.
Ms. Chanda said the State failed to prove allegations against Kambwili beyond any reasonable doubt. She said the former NDC leader could not be faulted for chairing a board meeting that resolved to change some details on the METS’ form 71 before PACRA.
In this case, Economic Equity Party (EEP) president Chilufya Tayali complained against Kambwili for allegedly tampering with the documents.
Particulars of the offence were that on March 6, 2018 in Lusaka, Kambwili caused an obstruction or disturbance in the course of judicial proceedings by lodging the documents at PACRA to change METS’ details and records, which were subject of proceedings before High Court deputy Registrar David Simusamba.
Mr. Simusamba, who sat as Principal Resident Magistrate, jailed Kambwili for two years imprisonment with hard labor for forgery and uttering false documents.
In yesterday’s matter further allegations were that the changes were particulars of two directors Mwamba Chishimba and Carol Chansa, which changed to Mwamba Kambwili and Carol Chansa Chipande.
In his defence, Kambwili denied the allegations, which he described as shocking on grounds that he had never gone to PACRA to lodge documents for alteration of METS’ details as alleged by Mr. Tayali.
In her judgement yesterday, Magistrate Chanda threw out Mr. Tayali’s complaint against Kambwili.
She said the accused person did not obstruct any judicial proceedings before Mr. Simusamba who was hearing the case in which he handed down a two- year jail term on the former Sports minister.
The court found that although the resolution to change some of METS’ details at PACRA was made on March 5, 2018 at a meeting chaired by the accused person, he did not know the type of documents the State would present before court in trial.
And in an interview after his acquittal, Kambwili thanked Magistrate Chanda for acquitting him. He advised Mr. Tayali to reflect on his action but that he did not have hard feelings for the EEP leader.
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