By SIMON MUNTEMBA
The police have defied a court order directing them to take former President Edgar Lungu’s barber, Shebby Chilekwa, to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) for medical attention in the presence of his lawyers.
They instead drove him to Kaoma where they took him to the district hospital in the absence of his lawyers.
On Friday, High Court Judge Mwape Bowa ordered that Mr Chilekwa, who is alleged to have been tortured be admitted to the UTH for medical attention, after his lawyers, Makebi Zulu Advocates, applied to the Lusaka High Court that he receives medical attention.
However, according to the Affidavit in support of summons to review the order of the court, signed by Police Superintendent Maxwell Timba, the State said the order was overtaken by events and it was unnecessary and costly to bring the applicant from Kaoma to Lusaka when he was being attended to in a government medical facility with the same amenities as UTH.
They said the suspect was driven to Kaoma because he was required to be charged from the place where the offence is alleged to have been committed.
“Causing the suspect to travel for circa 400 km from Kaoma to Lusaka, and then taking him back will not only delay the criminal procedure of the arrest in the place where the crime is alleged to have been committed, but also will endanger his life for which the state would be held responsible,” the affidavit reads.
Upon inquiry, Mr Timba said, “I have discovered and been furnished with fresh evidence to the effect that the applicant was in fact taken to the Kaoma District Hospital prior to the delivery of the ruling of this honorable court. Now produced and shown to me collectively marked ‘’MT1’’ are copies of the medical records from Kaoma District Hospital.
Mr Chilekwa, who was picked up by police on February 7, has not been formerly arrested for any offence.
On Wednesday, he applied for hebeas corpus which is set for hearing on February 15.
