Patriotic Front Mkushi South Member of Parliament was on Friday morning arrested at court by a Police Officer who is a witness to losing UPND Parliamentary Candidate Sydney Chisanga.
The arrest happened during the hearing of a Petition at the Kabwe High Court in which Sydney Chisanga who polled 7,459 votes is challenging the election of Davies Chisopa who polled 8,313 votes.
Hon. Chisopa was apprehended and eventually arrested by officers from Mkushi Police Station after he briefly walked out of the Courtroom to get some water while his lawyer was cross-examining the Petitioner.
Arresting officer Fwalanga himself is a second witness for losing UPND candidate and was previously cross-examined on the alleged charges of malicious damage to property and assault.
The incident caused a serious commotion outside the Courthouse.
This arresting Officer had told Kabwe High Court Judge in Charge Justice Kelvin H. Limbani that he volunteered to testify for the UPND losing Parliamentary Candidate.
Republican President Hakainde Hichilema had assured Zambians that his administration will not use law enforcement officers to haunt the opposition and the current move seem to be departing from those pronouncements as the administration may be seen to be moving towards the same practices they preached against while in opposition.
The lawyers for the PF winning MP had told the Court they could not proceed in the absence of the Parliamentary Candidate who has been petitioned.
Judge Limbani he since issued an Order to the Officer in Charge to present a report to the Court on Monday morning and Hon Chisopa has since been released on Police Bond.
The arrest and use of police officers aligned to the ruling party are now becoming the first test of whether Mr. Hichilema will govern the country using the long arm of the law to silence opponents or nullify their seats.
This has got nothing to do with the president, it is very clear what the president has said about the police officers’ conduct and the discharge of their services. The police officers do not report the president and it is wishful thinking trying to align the president in the fracas in Kabwe. Judge Limbani has done well to ask for a report regarding the incident and only then can we understand and know the true state of the incident on Monday. Of course haters will try by all means to make it look like the president is involved in this case, but surely he is busy with important issues affecting the nation.
Arrest all PF thugs ……….
Let them feel what they did to opposition…….
NO, NO , LOOK NO ONE STAYS IN THAT POSITION FOR EVER ITS ONLY TEN YEARS OR LESS , SO THAT SHALL COME BACK TO ALL , even when I voted
fOR HH AND UPND IS EXPECTING HIM TO HAVE LEARNT LESSONS
The president may have said that but the culture of pleasing a ruling party by security wings is deeply embedded. Even if the president doesn’t mind what people do, the cadres will always want to ” protect” their “president”
The officer’s behavior is very unacceptable. How should a witness carry such self imposed orders and expect a non biased testimony?
What a shame.
And you saying police officers don’t report to the president, how is HH different from Lungu?. ECL received all the insults on behalf of every foolish acts by the chaps under him.
The report will reveal everything. I refuse to believe those police officers were instructed by State House. Bally is way too smart
A president is too high in the office to participate into these trivialities. But people do anything in the name of the president. They did it for Lungu and they will do it for HH. Watch the space
Chisopa sue the arresting officer.
Most institutions have been politicized. Almost everyone is now partisan. The apparent reward of those that behaved in an undignified manner has further encouraged individuals to patronize the appointing authority. It started with the MMD that paraded Mwamba Luchembe as a hero and later appointed Darius Kalebo as IG even when he had issues with how he dealt with Senegalese. What followed is now history. Today we have seen a very junior officer being awarded with the 2nd senior most position in the Correctional Service just for being courteous with the appointing authority when he was behind bars. Does the chap have what it takes to run that office? His colleagues will be afraid to point out the wrongs to him because he’s a Presidential appointee. Can we for once do things in an orderly…
Madness! Zambia doesn’t fall to surprise you. So what were the charges?