THE Bemba Royal Establishment (BRE) is disturbed that Amos Chanda, the former State House press aide has been kept in unlawful dentation for almost a week without being taken to court when the offence he is charged is bondable.
On Sunday night Senior Chief Mwamba sent a message through his representative who visited Mr Chanda at Kabwata Police station where the former State House press aide had been detained since Thursday last week.
Senior Chief Mwamba said he was an emissary of Paramount Chief Chitimukulu, of the Bemba people.
Senior Chief Mwamba said the Mwine Lubemba was particularly concerned that Mr Chanda was allegedly being persecuted over an offence that was bailable and over a court matter that the Royal Establishment understood closed in 2020.
The Bemba chiefs are concerned that the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and the other law enforcement agencies had targeted Mr Chanda for harassment in a bid to get to the former President Edgar Lungu who he served as special advisor for press.
“If this is about ordinary law enforcement only our son being singled out for victimisation where he is detained without trial for a week yet the alleged office is both bondable and bailable. We have taken note of the progressive guidance President Hakainde Hichilema has given to the police and other law enforcement agencies not to arrest people before completing investigations and that if he alleged offensive are bailable, they must not be kept in dentation. But why are law enforcement agencies disobeying the President,” the chief’s representative wondered.
And during private conversation between the Chief’s representative and Amos Chanda in the passage of the cell, the Chief representative said as an emissary, he had taken note of the serious concerns Mr Chanda had raised over his personal safety particularly the unusual night visits to his cell by State agents who had been seeking to identify him at awkward hours.
The traditional leadership also revealed that Chitimukulu would personally travel to Lusaka in the coming days to come and understand what he fears to be unfair treatment targeting of Mr Chanda.
And Mr Chanda told the traditional leadership that he had instructed his lawyers to approach the High Court for Habeas corpus because DEC had demonstrated openly that they intended to inflict extra judicial punishment on him by holding him without trial. Mr Chanda is in a crowded small police cell where he is held with 18 other inmates.
The cell capacity is only up to a maximum of six people. – Muvi TV
