Friday, March 29, 2024

Kenya denies Henry Banda’s presence

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President Rupiah Banda`s son Henry with his wife

Kenyan authorities have denied the presence in that country of fugitive former President Rupiah Banda’s son Henry who is wanted by Police.

Police Inspector General Martin Malama had earlier in the week indicated that Henry the prominent son of the former President was spotted in Kenya.

But Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangura has told the BBC that he has checked with the Police and the Internal Security Department who have told him that Henry is not in Kenya.

Mr Wetangura says according to the information he has been given, the last time Henry was spotted in Kenya was in November 2011.

He says that it could be that if he is in Kenya he could have entered through the East African country’s porous borders.

The Foreign Affairs minister has said Kenya would handover Henry if he is in that country and a formal request for his arrest is made.

Henry is wanted by law enforcement agencies to answer allegations of corruption. Police issued former President Rupiah Banda’s son Henry a ‘red notice’ as they try to extradite him from Kenya where he is believed to have flown from South Africa.

The red alert is the highest notice the police, who have also now issued a warrant of arrest on Henry, can issue on a wanted person and it has come after they involved Interpol in their search.

Inspector-General of Police Martin Malama announced the latest police effort to bring Henry to book, adding that he has since officially contacted Attorney-General Mumba Malila to assist the police in drawing up the necessary legal papers required for the possible extradition of Henry.

Henry is wanted in connection with what Dr Malama described as serious cases that border on several illegalities that could have been committed while his father was President of Zambia.
His name and that of former Minister of Communications and Transport Dora Siliya have been linked to Cayman Island-registered company RP Capital.

RP Capital was according to the Sebastian Zulu report on the sale of the telecoms company paid up to US$12.6 million (about K64 billion) to valuate Zamtel assets whose value it placed at under US$20 million when the market value in two years’ time is expected to peak at about US$5 billion.

Mr Malila when contacted regarding Dr Malama’s appeal to his office said: “We do have a request (official) from the Zambia Police to prepare legal processes for the arrest of a wanted person in foreign countries,” Mr Malila said in an interview yesterday.

He said his office is preparing to formally contact all foreign attorneys-general for the arrest of Henry because he is wanted by police. Mr Malila said the competent legal authorities in foreign countries will work with security wings to track down and arrest Henry.

Dr Malama said police have issued a ‘red notice’ on Henry to Interpol, which has a presence in 190 countries. “We have given a warrant of arrest for Henry and we have contacted Interpol,” Dr Malama said.

He said the hunt for Henry has now gone global. “There’s no need for him to be a fugitive. Zambia is a land of laws. Let him just come back home and answer the questions we have for him,” Dr Malama said. Dr Malama said the country does not take pleasure in seeing some of its citizens as fugitives.

The police chief said there are serious cases that have come up and Henry is needed to help with investigations. He said whatever is levelled against him will be taken to the courts of law.
“By the way, we have no Kangaroo courts here. We have competent courts and we have confidence in our courts,” Dr Malama said.

On Sunday, Dr Malama revealed that Henry had fled to Kenya from South Africa where he was last spotted. Attempts to get a comment from former President Banda did not yield results as his administrative secretary Mikatazyo Wakumelo said he was off-duty.

“I’m not with him. I’m not feeling well,” Mr Wakumelo said. Henry’s global search comes at a time that President Sata has stepped up his anti-graft fight which he says shall spare no-one.
Dr Malama said the corruption fight is not in any way retribution because his police service is blind to political or religious affiliations.

12 COMMENTS

  1. Greed, theft, bitterness, corruption, immorality – news from Zambia. Rarely is it news of development, goodwill and helping hands in this country.  Too many thieves – cat and mouse, good luck! 

  2. You can run but you can’t hide. Why doesn’t his father advise him to get back home and face the law? It’s increasingly becoming obvious that the man is guilty. The statement his father made when handing over power summarised it all that the first family had abused our resources on a colossal scale; “we didn’t knowingly abuse state resources”. I am sure he can use the same defence in court.

  3. Those that thought Sata was a joker will soon prove it that the is indeed a king Cobra; Man of action. He said it that thieves will be running away. As fo rb very soon he will wish he was not fished from the farm to come and run the country blindly. What a foolish president he was.

  4. Hey folks,be on the lolo,am coming with Attan,y’all know Attan Shansonga right? Am coming to shut up the motormouth,aint no criminal take it easy.

  5. Henry Banda is making a terrible mistake by opting to lead a life of a fugitive. It must be a nightmare for his family and the wise thing he should do is hand himself in to the authorities in Zambia, clear his name and face things like a man. By running away he is declaring himself guilty. It won’t be long before he is caught and will find himself shipped in a container to Zambia.

  6. “By the way, we have no Kangaroo courts here. We have competent courts and we have confidence in our courts,” Dr Malama said”. But the LAZ and Post have said something different about our Judges. Is that why Henry prefers to be at large?

  7. but why does the police force always announce instead of just getting him..giving him some clues so they could make money out of him..?

  8. Whatever goes up must come down, thus the rule of nature. RB et Sons were up, but worse was Henry, coz he thought Zambia was an RB et Sons entity, as he could engage himself in affairs of national interest. Come back Henry and face reality, be a man now.

  9. This is persecution of RB and his family. FULL STOP. After 5 years another GOVT will institute investigations on MEZARF scandals and the true nationality of someone. God Help Us!

  10. Pr 28:15  Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
    Job 9:24  The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the eyes of its judges–if it is not he, who then is it?
    Job 20:5  that the exulting of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless is but for a moment?

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