By GIDEON NYENDWA and MUKWIMA CHILALA
Almost 72 hours after the Lusaka High Court ordered that Mr Shebby Chilekwa be taken to the University Teaching Hospital, his lawyers are still in the dark over his whereabouts.
Mr Makebi Zulu said in an interview that they have had neither access to their client nor has he been taken to UTH as directed by the court.
The lawyers are now contemplating contempt proceedings today against the State for failing to comply with a court order.
According to speculations, Mr Chilekwa, former President Edgar Lungu’s barber is being held for suspected murder involving UPND member, Lawrence Banda in Kaoma.
The lawyers are concerned because they have no access to their alleged tortured client and did not know his current condition.
Fidelis Chulu who was picked at the same time was also allegedly tortured by the police. He got a medical report from Woodlands police station on February 7 and received medical attention at Chilenje Level One Hospital the following day.
Mr Chulu said that he was picked from Mr Chanda’s home in Lusaka’s Woodlands residential area and taken to Lusaka Central Police where he was tortured by the police.
He explained that the police officers used a cable wire on him.
“It was in the morning on February 4, when the police stormed the room where I was sleeping at my boss’s residence. They asked me where Shebby Chilekwa was and I said I don’t know, then they hit me on my face with a cable wire.
“And when they found him (Chilekwa) in another room that is when they started hitting me hard. They said they were beating me because I did not disclose that the suspect they were looking for was in the house. Thereafter, they took all of us to Lusaka Central police where they continued beating us,” he narrated.
High Court Judge Mwape Bowa on Friday ordered that Mr Chilekwa, be admitted to the University Teaching Hospital for Medical attention.
He said they will be back in court to hear what the state application is and that they will also be filing their application to ensure that the rights of their client are secured.
Mr Zulu said that they did not know the condition of their client because the police were not allowing them access to him.
But the police defied the court order directing them to take Mr Chilekwa, to the University Teaching Hospital for medical attention in the presence of his lawyers.
However, according to an 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.
Mr Chilekwa, who was picked up by police on February 7, has not been formally arrested for any offence.
On Wednesday, he applied for harbeas corpus which is set for hearing tomorrow, February 15.
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