Police apprehend Kambwili, take him to Luanshya

Police have apprehended Chishimba Kambwili, bundled him in a Toyota Land Cruiser and taken to Luanshya for questioning.

Kambwili this morning went to Police Service Headquarters to complain against Copperbelt Police Commissioner Charity Katanga for rejecting his excuse for not being available for ‘interview’ with Lauanshya Police today but ended up being detained.

Kambwili through one of his lawyers, Christopher Mundia, informed Katanga of his client’s inability to avail himself for the interview because he was due to appear in court tomorrow but the police commissioner rejected the excuse and ordered that he avails himself without fail.

The Roan lawmaker’s summoning followed his address to protesting AVIC International workers who went to his house in Luanshya on Saturday demanding that he addresses them over poor working conditions at the Chinese company.

In his address, Kambwili criticised the government for not protecting Zambians from foreigner investors and figuratively said there was no President in Zambia and what was in State House was a figurehead.

Home affairs minister Stephen Kampyongo then threatened to deal with him for interfering with his projects after Kambwili confronted him over plans to arrest him and charge him with treason.

Kambwili this morning went to police headquarters in the company of his three lawyers, Gilbert Phiri, Keith Mweembwa and Christopher Mundia.

Deputy inspector general of police Bonny Kapeso and a few senior officers received them.

At first, Kambwili ushered in alone at 08:20 hours and ten minutes later, his lawyers were called in.

After 25 minutes of deliberations in the presence of his lawyers, Kapeso insisted that Kambwili be detained and driven to Ndola and delivered into the hands of the Copperbelt command who issued the callout for him on Tuesday.

Commanding police officers, Kapeso directed Kambwili, his daughter Kabamba, and a handful of NDC supporters into a waiting landcruiser outside.

Kambwili was immediately bundled into the landcruiser alone.

His private secretary, Febian Mutale, insisted that someone accompanies Kambwili as he was being driven to the Copperbelt.

But Kapeso refused saying there was no way someone was going to accompany Kambwili because he was a suspect who did not need escort.

He instead suggested that if they wanted someone to accompany him, they needed to make alternative transport to follow the landcruiser which had already started off.

His lawyers, Mweembwa and Phiri, said they were astonished by the police reaction.

Mweembwa said it was surprising because Kambwili was not summoned to Police headquarters but handed himself in so that they could negotiate the date he would appear owing to his court appearance before magistrate Mwaka Mikalile this Friday.

Source: The Mast