Fresh summons ordered in Lusambo defamation case
By VIOLET TEMBO
KABUSHI local court has ordered the issuance of fresh summons in a matter in which Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo has been sued for defamation of character.
And the court has since set September 26, 2017 for possible start of trial.
Patriotic Front Kabushi constituency Youth information and publicity secretary (IPS) Atressy Phiri has sued Mr. Lusambo who is also Kabushi Member of Parliament.
When the matter was called for return of summons before local court magistrate Paul Kayula, siting with Mildred Namwaizye, the complainant in the matter was advised to file in fresh summons against the Copperbelt minister.
The court informed the complainant that the address she earlier indicated where the summons was expected to be delivered in respect of the respondent was not correct.
Ms. Phiri had given the details of the accused as B. Chilosha and the address indicated town centre near the united church of Zambia (UCZ) in Ndola which shares the boundary with cabinet office.
Ms. Phiri told the court that she had informed the clerk that the summons could be delivered at a building near the named church.
“When I was explaining I said the address is near UCZ Church which is near cabinet office. That is how it was written as UCZ,” Phiri explained.
Magistrate Kayula then advised Phiri to file in fresh summons before the matter could come up for return of summons.
“There is no proper record. Go back and get fresh summons and come back on September 26, 2017,” Magistrate Kayula said.
Mr. Lusambo however was not before court but the case attracted scores of the party members in the district.
Meanwhile, in the new summons, Phiri has indicated that she is suing Bowman Chilosha Lusambo, the Copperbelt minister and the address indicated is cabinet office in Ndola.
She told the Daily Nation that she opted to use the accused’s middle name because earlier on police could not record her complaint upon hearing that the accused person was the provincial minister