Tue, 30 May 2017 11:11:40 +0000
By ANNIE ZULU
THE Patriotic Front did not arrest UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema, but the State did, Patriotic Front (PF) Deputy Secretary General Mumbi Phiri has said.
And Ms Phiri has charged that it was a mistake to suggest that the delays in Court in the matter involving Mr Hichilema had something to do with the PF and President Edgar Lungu.
She instead accused Mr Hichilema’s lawyers of delaying the process by raising preliminary issues over straight forward matters.
Ms Phiri was speaking to journalist at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday.
“The adjournments were caused by Hichilema’s Lawyers. The Hichilema lawyers know very well that after making a preliminary application, the magistrate or judge should recess to research and rule in the matter.
“Zambians remember that UPND’s election petition was killed by the same lawyers who failed to understand that 14 days meant 14 days. This is a UPND lawyer’s disease and not anybody else’s.
“We wish to advise Hichilema to get more focused lawyers who will not be interested in playing long-ball,” Ms Phiri said.
She also said it was ridiculous for the UPND and Mr Hichilema’s wife, Mutinta to seek attention from the international community by trying to give a political face to a criminal matter which was before the Courts of law.
Ms Phiri advised UPND and Mrs Hichilema to stop spreading lies about hers husband’s arrest to the international media.
She stated that Mr Hichilema was a criminal suspect and that he was being persecuted according to the criminal Laws of Zambia.
“There have been efforts by UPND to politicise Mr Hichilema’s criminal matter, this is hypocrisy of the worst order and we ask all right-thinking Zambians to reject this narrative,
“Ms Hichilema should stop issuing alarming statements and lies to the international media because it is helping her or the husband. Of course, society expects her to stand with her husband but she must not do so to the extent of telling out straight lies,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ms Phiri has warned South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane to stop interfering in Zambia’s internal affairs.
She urged Mr Maimane do desist making alarming remarks and trying to use Zambia to gain political mileage.
“DA have no morality to comment on any governance issue anywhere in the world, this is the boy who wants to use Zambia as his play ground,
“This is a clear warning that he must not dare Zambians, because Zambia is a country of laws and not of men. Our legal system is not a respecter of persons at all,” she said.
