The Magistrate Court in Kawambwa has reserved ruling to tomorrow on returning of the bench warrant issued to Kawambwa Central Member of parliament Nickson Chilangwa.
The Magistrate Marting Namushi has since ordered that Mr. Chilangwa remains in police custody while the other six co accused persons have their police bonds extended.
This is in a matter in which, Mr. Chilangwa was issued with a bench warrant on May 24, 2023Â for absconding court sessions for three consecutive sittings in the Kawambwa Magistrate Court.
But on Saturday July 15, 2023Â Â Mr. Chilangwa surrendered himself to Kawambwa Police Station after going into hiding for over a month.
When the matter came up before the court Mr, Chilangwa told the court that he missed the court sessions on April, 11 because he was unwell and that while on July 22Â and 24, he was attending to another case at the Lusaka High Court.
Mr. Chilangwa also explained that he could not avail himself before the court as he was not in the right frame of mind after being issued with a bench warrant without first being warned.
He said because of that he feared to be bundled into a police vehicle commonly known as Kasalanga like a hard core criminal.
And the state represented by State Advocate, Mwala Museta asked the court not to entertain Mr. Chilangwa’s explanation because he has failed to produce before court the records of proceedings at the High Court as alleged and also failed to account for the rest of the other eight days.
But Mr. Chilangwa’s defence lawyers, Boniface Chiwala, Kampamba Kombe, Jonas Zimba and Benjamin Mwelwa all pleaded to the court to exercise maximum leniency on the accused person saying his absence was not out of disrespect to the court.
The defence lawyers said as gatekeepers of the temple of justice, the court should show forgiveness and give him a second chance and benefit of doubt because to error is human but to forgive is divine.
This is in a matter in which Mr. Ronald Chitotela, and Mr. Nickson Chilangwa with five others are appearing before Magistrate Martin Namushi in the Kawambwa Magistrate Court for arson, threatening violence, malicious damage to property and assault cases committed in August 2021.
The other five accused persons are Kalumba Chifumbe, Davy Kaniki, Chabu Chitotela, Charity Musantu and Kunda Chitotela.
Absolutely laughable the reported conduct of lawyers. What a way to get paid!
He wanted to abscond until he saw that even surities are even being lock up.
Let hum go and concentrate on fighting the economy. I am voting pf next election. I regret voting with my tribe
you are an *****. Off topic…what has election got to do with this? Moron.
I am just thinking if Zambians voted for this government so that they can keep on hearing court cases , however my conviction has always been that people voted in large numbers because they wanted the economy to improve as per the promises given from this government.
What we are seeing is just another joke , what is trending these days is just a waste of time and taxpayers money on nothing.
My advise is that the government must put all their efforts on improving the people’s living standards .
Just vote pf. Nothing will change. I was doing better financially under pf than I am under upnd
Arrest this thug. His fellow thugs stole my girl and slept with her. I still suffer from panic attacks and mentally scarred after this
Yaba, does one need to disclose that, what if they don’t arrest him.
Is Mr. Chilangwa’s arrest going the price of mealie meal down? The New Dawn government has its priorities all wrong. Let them concentrate on fixing the economy and waste less time on boasting about their mythical achievements, arrests, abductions, and by-elections.
Arresting these PF guys who tormented us must continue as an example to current upnd leaders that if they misbehave in power the law will follow them.