By NATION REPORTER
MY arrest, denial of bond and detention at Kabwata police cells from Thursday last week was engineered by Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), an institution of governance, out to fix me, former President Edgar Lungu’s press aide Amos Chanda has said.
Mr Chanda, who has spent four days in detention for alleged theft of a court records and destroying evidence contrary to the laws of Zambia said the DEC director general has had a personal vendetta against him.
Mr Chanda described his arrest as pure persecution and malicious, stating that the move was meant to settle personal scores through abuse of office using state machinery by some individuals in government institutions.
He said there were operational matters hinging on state operations between him as State House press aide at the time and Ms Chirwa then as Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) Director-General from which she is now seeking vengeance under the guise of pursuing corruption.
Mr Chanda, who had to celebrate Zambia’s 58th independence anniversary in police cell said the various cases of possible criminal conduct and other abuses on Ms Chirwa’s which came into his possession by virtue of his office were being used to victimise him.
He said Ms Chirwa concocted his case the time she was the director general of FIC when the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) under Alita Mbawe and the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) tried to investigate and properly question the suspects.
He said the late Mr Nkhoma showed some inordinate interest in his matter and regularly approached the then Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Lillian Siyuni pushing her to prosecute the case.
Mr Chanda said he was informed that he was so remotely connected to the case and that no reasonable court or tribunal could convict him but that he would be available help to provide evidence, something he found a strange offer.
He said the case finally took off in January, 2020 and by the time it was closed via a nolle prosequi, not a single witness had named me in the case.
Mr Chanda narrated that he was arrested on Thursday, 19th October, 2022 at 15 hours by DEC and was asked for two sureties which he presented and were on record with DEC in another matter in which he was rearrested.
Mr Chanda explained that DEC had denied him bond and the five officers from the Commission detained demanded that he be detained as per very strict superior orders from the DEC boss.
He said his lawyers drew the attention to the provisions of the law and his rights under Article 18 of the Constitution, but the officers insisted that bond was discretional and therefore the DG-DEC had exercised that discretion not to issue the bond.
“I attended two summons and one interview. I was never charged for any offense because they said they were only asking to help with investigations,” he said.
