Wed, 12 Apr 2017 06:09:50 +0000
By JOSSY CHAIMA
OPPOSITION UPND vice-president for administration Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM) was yesterday discharged of the case of malicious damage of property after the State entered a nolle-prosequi.
Mwamba still faces two counts of assault and his case was adjourned to July.
And police officers were yesterday forced to fire teargas canisters to disperse Mr Mwamba’s supporters after they resisted orders from the police that Mr Mwamba should leave the court premises and do the interview with journalists elsewhere.
Mr Mwamba was discharged of the case of malicious damage of property after the State entered a nolle following the refusal by the complainant to testify.
This was a case in which GBM was facing three criminal counts of conduct likely to cause the breach of peace.
In count one, Mwamba was accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, contrary to section 248 of the Penal Code.
It was alleged that Mwamba on May 19 this year in Kitwe, jointly and whilst acting together with others unknown, assaulted Moses Katongo and occasioned him actual bodily harm. In count two, Mwamba was accused of maliciously damaging property contrary to section 335 of the Penal Code. It was alleged that Mwamba together with others unknown on May 19 last year damaged four cases of soft drinks, 10 rolls of tissue paper and two boxes of macaroni, altogether valued at K490, the property of Dickson Sikazwe.
In the last count, Mwamba was alleged to have assaulted Francis Musonda and occasioned him actual bodily harm. The assault case was adjourned to July.
After Mr Mwamba left the dock yesterday, police had to fire teargas to disperse the crowds that gathered as GBM was being interviewed by journalists.
This was after the police told Mr Mwamba to move out of the court promises where journalists were interviewing him.
But, Mr Mwamba told the police he had a right to respond to important questions from the press but police insisted the reporters should carry out the interview from the street.
And during the interview with the journalists, Mr Mwamba said it was not intentional that he and UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema did not stop for the Presidential motorcade during the Kuomboka in Mongu.
Mr Mwamba said the UPND did not know that President Lungu was behind them and that was why they did not stop to give way.
“We were not the only ones on the road; there were over 100 vehicles on that road. We didn’t know that Edgar Lungu was in that motorcade because we saw him embark on a royal boat; it was not intentional that we did not stop. It’s because we did not know Edgar Lungu was in that motorcade,” he said.
Mr Mwamba also said this party was ready to dialogue with the Patriotic Front as long as the ruling party was willing to sit and dialogue with the opposition.
“It’s the ruling party that is supposed initiate for a dialogue and if that is done we are ready to dialogue and tell them what Zambians are going through. We are not the difficult ones; as long as they are ready we are willing to dialogue with them,’’ he said.
