Kambwili denies abusing Indian
…as he gets K3, 000 cash bail
ROAN member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili has pleaded not guilty to one count of expressing or showing hatred, ridicule or contempt for persons because of their race.
Particulars of the offence are that on February 19, 2019 in Lusaka, Kambwili expressed racial remarks on Rajesh Kumar Verma, an Indian national.
Kambwili, 50, denied the charge before Lusaka Magistrate Humphrey Chitalu yesterday afternoon, after public prosecutors informed the court that Director of Public Prosecutions Fulata Shawa- Siyunyi has given consent to prosecute the matter.
He was initially supposed to appear in the morning but by 09:30 hours, his lawyers Gilbert Phiri and Christopher Mundia learnt that their client’s docket was not ready and he would appear at 14:00 hours.
At exactly 13:22 hours, Kambwili was driven into the Lusaka Magistrate Court Complex premises in a police van amid tight security and was later led to a holding cell.
After 26 minutes, the Roan MP was ushered into court nine after Chief Resident Magistrate Kenneth Mulife allocated the case to Mr. Chitalu.
Three minutes before 14:00 hours, the lawyers Mr. Phiri, Mr. Mundia and Zevyanji Sinkala entered the courtroom, after which Kambwili proceeded to take plea and denied the charge. In his bail application on behalf of his client, Mr. Phiri said Kambwili is a well-known figure in Zambia and a serving member of Parliament of fixed abode.
“He has appeared and is still appearing in several matters before other courts and he has not breached any condition regarding bail he has secured. He undertakes to provide sureties and abide by bail conditions. “The court is urged to admit the accused to bail in his own recognisance, the accused’s diplomatic passport is already in the custody of Honourable Mwaka Mikalile where he is appearing in another matter,” Mr. Phiri said. Public prosecutor Noah Mwanza did not object to the application but prayed to the court not to admit Kambwili to bail in his own recognisance to secure his court attendance. In his ruling, Mr. Chitalu granted Kambwili K3, 000 cash bail with two working sureties in the sum of K10, 000 each in their own recognisance. The court has since set April 8 and 9, 2019 for commencement of trial.
Earlier, Mr. Phiri confirmed that Kambwili had been given police bond in the additional charge of disobeying lawful orders the police slapped on him on Monday.
The charge arose from an incident in which the Roan MP allegedly breached security protocol at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport when he went to welcome his wife Carol back from the United Kingdom at the weekend.
The case comes up on March 15, 2019 in the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court.