Court officers’ cocaine trial unfolds

COURT officers’ cocaine trafficking trial opened yesterday, with the first witness telling the court that a DEC labeled cocaine exhibits bag and a pistol were picked from a court interpreter’s house.

And the State has discharged one of the three businessmen who were jointly charged with the seven court officers after the Director of Public Prosecutions Fulata Lilian Shawa-Siyunyi issued instructions to discontinue proceedings against Charles Nkhuwa. According to a fresh indictment, Eric Chipango (businessman), Emmanuel Chimba (businessman), Emmanuel Chirwa (court interpreter), Bearvan Mengo (court interpreter), Mathews Mukanda (court interpreter), Victor Kisasa Nzaila (court interpreter), Florence Chiluba Mshoka (court interpreter), Obrian Muyunda (court interpreter), and Diddie Kangwa (senior clerk of court) have been charged for two counts of allegedly trafficking in 80.11 grams and one kilogram of cocaine. In the other count, Chimba and Chirwa have been jointly charged for allegedly trafficking in 1.5 grams of cocaine without lawful authority. Testifying before Magistrate Kawama Mwamfuli yesterday, Drug Enforcement Commission senior security officer Collins Hamainda said on September 5, 2018, he and other officers intercepted Chipango at Golden Crest Mall where he was allegedly transacting in suspected drugs in a grey Toyota Corolla registration number ABE 7627. Mr. Hamainda said when one of the officers Anderson Situmbeko searched the car, he found a plastic containing nine pre-packs of whitish powder under the driver’s seat and upon asking Chipango about the stuff, he told the officers that it belonged to Chimba, a car dealer on Katondo Street. He said the officers later apprehended Chimba at the entrance of the Lusaka Hotel car park between 18:30 and 19:00 hours and after being asked about the drugs, he told them that he got the cocaine from Chirwa, a court interpreter at the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court Complex. He said after that, Chimba led them to Chirwa’s house in George Compound after which officers picked a DEC labeled cocaine exhibits bag containing a small pistol and an analysis form. “There was a small pistol silver in colour with a black butt. When I checked the said pistol, I saw the model was Raven, caliber is 25 auto made in USA and a magazine with six rounds of live ammunition.