Saki poetically ridicules State over idling charge against Changala Siame

…as he recites that Zambia has finally achieved what physicists could not do...criminalising Newton’s First Law of Motion: ‘a body at rest will remain in Kabwata’

By NATION REPORTER

LAWYER State Counsel Sakwiba Sikota has satirically ridiculed and attacked the State for having arrested and detained Changala Siame for a week on a charge of idle standing with a fine of no more than K50.

Businessman Changala Siame was arrested and detained at Kabwata Police Station last week after being charged with the offence of idle standing and has since been in police custody for five days as of today.

Mr Sikota SC has told the court that his client’s alleged crime was simply standing still but that the police arrested him, not for stealing...not for rigging the August 13 general election.

“My Lord, my client is accused of a most dangerous activity. He was... standing. Not stealing. Not shooting. Not rigging 13 August election. He was standing still in the Republic of Zambia, minding his own business,” Mr Sikota SC said.

Mr Sikota questioned the rationale of keeping Mr Siame in detention for about 96 hours over an offence which attracts a small fine.

“The offence attracts a small fine. My client has spent 96 hours in detention for a fine of K50. The maths alone is a crime,” he said.

Mr Sikota said the State appeared to have spent thousands of Kwachas to prosecute a case involving a K50 fine.

“This is not prosecution, it is bad business,” Mr Sikota said.

He also mocked the charge by arguing that if standing still amounted to idling, then people sitting in court could equally be accused of the same offence.

“My Lord, if standing still is idling, then I apply that this entire court is in contempt. We are all seated. We are not moving. We are idling with wigs,” he said.

Mr Sikota described Mr Siame as a Kitwe businessman who had travelled to Lusaka to conduct business, arguing that his client should not have been subjected to prolonged detention over the allegation.

“I say he was doing business of standing - waiting for the Zambian economy to move,” he said.

He urged the court to impose the K50 fine, if appropriate, and release his client.

“I beg the court: fine him K50, give him a chair so he cannot idle standing, and let us go home,” Mr Sikota said.

He ended his submission with another sarcastic reference to Newton’s First Law of Motion, saying Zambia had effectively criminalised a body remaining at rest.

“Zambia has finally achieved what physicists could not - we have criminalised Newton’s First Law: a body at rest will remain in Kabwata.”

Ends.