Thursday, March 28, 2024

Court issues warrant of arrest against the a George Mpombo for failing to show up in court

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 George Mpombo
George Mpombo

The Lusaka Magistrate’s Court has issued a bench warrant against former Minister of Defence George Mpombo for absconding from court proceedings in a matter in which he is charged with theft by public servant, forgery and uttering a false document.

Chief resident Magistrate Joshua Banda issued a bench warrant yesterday when the matter came up for mention and fixing of new dates in order for Mr Mpombo to open his defence but both the accused person and his lawyers, Abraham Mwansa were not present.

Mr Banda noted that Mpombo had absconded from court on several occasion and gave the accused person a benefit of doubt in the last sitting by adjourning the matter to yesterday hoping the accused would avail himself to court.

“This matter has been coming on several occasions and the accused has not been coming as such an application for bench warrant has to be made, I therefore issue a warrant of arrest against the accused person returnable on April 8 this year,” Mr Banda said.

Magistrate Banda found Mpombo with a case to answer early this year and placed him on defence but since then the accused person had not opened his defence yet.

Divisions Prosecutions Officer Desmond Mwanza told the Court that it was not the first time that the accused person had stayed away from court proceedings and that his office had made efforts to secure his attendance.

“I took an opportunity to see the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mutembo Nchito who also tried to liaise with the defence counsel so that he can find his way to court today (Yesterday) but failed,” Mr Mwanza said.

In the matter, Mpombo is on an unknown date but between June and September 2008 in Lusaka, jointly and while working together with other unknown persons being a public servant as minister of Defence stole K18 million which came into his possession by virtue of his employment.

In the second count, Mpombo is charged with forgery contrary to Section 342 and 347 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

It is alleged that Mpombo, while working together with others unknown forged a tax invoice number 6358 and receipts number 2846 and 4468 purporting to show that these were genuinely issued when in fact not.

In count three, Mpombo is charged with uttering a false document. It is alleged that Mpombo between June 9 and September 15, 2008 in Lusaka, knowing and fraudulently uttered false documents namely two receipts, tax invoice and retirement of special imprest forms to Winniver Simwinji Mhlanga.

35 COMMENTS

  1. Charges,arrests,riots,investigations,police bonds issuance,warnings and cautions is all we hear of this govt.Are we blind to other issues or did zambia stop nation building once the PF govt came to power?

    • I don’t think ba beans I we mulayanako ku Zambia just by noticing your ignorance about the developments going on in zambia. Ba beans what u hear happening in Zambia is the choice of newspapers to write about. Many newspapers wouldn’t write about the developmental project as those topics wouldn’t sell their newspapers. And you yourselves wouldn’t read about the country’s developments. There are so many developmental projects taking place in Zambia but you have to be interested in order to find the right papers where to read from.

    • @Enka Rasha
      You are hearing all these because this is what it takes when you raise the bar of accountability for public officers, consequently strengthening democratic institutions in the country.

      There were no high profile cases because the previous govt made corruption, abuse of authority and thieving as part of its governance policies.

      Unlike wealth, once you are able to rigorously and enthusiastically deal with corruption at the top, the effect trickles down to the grassroots and the scourge will be wrecked and the resources put to benefit our society at large.

    • @Enka Rasha

      You are hearing all these because this is what it takes when you raise the bar of accountability for public officers, consequently strengthening democratic institutions in the country.

      There were no high profile cases because the previous govt made corruption, abuse of authority and thieving as part of its governance policies.

      Unlike wealth, once you are able to rigorously and enthusiastically deal with corruption at the top, the effect trickles down to the grassroots and the scourge will be wrecked and resources put to benefit our society at large.

    • @Sisi
      Don’t forget to add “selective accountability” When you articulate your reasoning. If you fail to do so, we might think that the Minister of Justice and his Defence counterpart should also be subject to the same raised bar of accountability.

  2. In spite of the fact that George Mpombo had outstanding criminal-based cases in Courts, the PF Govt appointed him as an envoy to Nigeria because he was a useful accessory in attacking the MMD govt. Now that the PF has realised that Mpombo has genes of a natural traitor, the PF will bend their policy and allow the due process of law no Mpombo because they have inside information that George is linked to Mulongoti’s newly formed Lamba-based party. The PF used Mpombo as toilet tissue to be flushed out after use, continue to eat well and use the abundant toilet tissues in stock.

    • @Mwansa
      Why add the tribal “mark” to what would otherwise be a worthwhile contribution. What evidence do you have, so early on, that Mulongoti’s party is tribal? Or have we reached a stage that anyone with political ambition is tribal unless the join existing parties?

  3. Why should the honourable be arrested over such LITTLE Money? K18million only and the man was minister of defence, handling real money not that petty cash, lets be serious and allow our honourable to concentrate on his Job to cement relations,investors from Nigerai where he is saving as high commisioner, 18pin is too small a money please, thats the money i normally give my ATM for upkeep in a month

    • Anyoko I am sure you dont leave in Zambia Cough Syrup for babies costs Kr 12 so the Kr 18,000 transalates to 1,500 bottles of cough syrup. dont be petty reducing crime in terms amounts involved does not make sense..it like question the purpose of the police..

  4. Court issues warrant of arrest against the a George Mpombo for failing to show up in court …………what?????????????????????????

  5. Those were witch hurt tactics by rb.ba judge or ba magistrate, allow our democracy to grow. Going back to rb stupidity will not this country forward.dismiss that case on some ground

  6. Yali Kosa! The past is haunting the big man. This was the making of RB. I now know why leaders in this country do not resign the way Mpombo did. Either way, the law follows you. This is not inspiring the young people to aspire for higher offices of the land as prosecutions follow you either way.

  7. You reap what you sow. What is even more disturbing is that we have sympathisers who see nothing wrong with events in the country. Rewinding back a few years when Levy was in office, people from all walks of life put his government under intense scrutiny and some opposition parties fiercely opposed anything he put forward so to make it extremely difficult for him to govern even when it was in the intrest of the nation. PF are running the country as though It was some drug cartel. Institutions of Law and order have been weakened, legislature – paralysed. What we are seeing are tell tell signs of the return of Authoritarian rule in Zambia.

    • Sorry, you are getting it wrong. The previous govt used to interfere with court processes, hence Chiluba’s acquito. This one allows courts work independently, hence Pombo is in court today. Under RB he would have asked them to stop the case. Please follow the happenings.
      Do not depend on what you read on the net, Zambia is currently developing at a very fast rate. Even the Kwacha is more stable compared to even the Rand of South Africa.

  8. Apparently, our legal system is “WORKING.” But what about the all time low kwacha weak rate? what about mealie meal shortages we hear about? Those are the real issues we care about and we supported you PF *****ic gov’t thinking that would be the priority. We just want basic things, to ensure that our people live sane lives like every human being is supposed to. But what we get is a witch hunting govt. F the PF and Michael Sata. I hope he also gets prosecuted for slaughtering our economy, he will definitely get prosecuted unless he dies in power. WASTEMAN.

  9. Cage him so that you can bring him to court whenever you want him, no one is above the law. Leadership is put in office to manage our resources not to steal from us, shame on George Mpombo.

  10. It doesnt matter how little the amount that was stolen is, its a matter of principle and accountability when you are in public service. Allowing government leaders to misuse public funds is wrong regardless if its 18kwacha or 18000 kwacha. So the blogger called Anyoko above wonders why Africa is full of 3rd world countries despite all the resources we have, abuse of public funds and self enrichment is the reason. In Western countries a minister will get fired for even missappropriating $100 from a government account and look at how their economies flourish.

  11. mpombo ba mpombo! why stealing? old people in zambia becomes thieves there the one teaching children how to steal too bad.

  12. Mpombo’s case is well known by all but one wonders why the president decided to appoint him as a diplomat. Is this not abuse of authority by the president?

  13. This problem should be layed at UKWA’s door steps because he sent him into foreign services knowing too well that this english speeker had an active case in the courts of law.It is now the tax payers who are having to pick up the bill of bringing Mpombo from Nigeria to Zambia to attend court.This neglegence of alarming proportion is going to take our economy to the toilet.Look at Lovemore Chakopa from Malawi.What on earth is he doing in Zambia at tax payers account?

  14. the problem is pipo seem 2 trust politicians,mpombo case is a not peculiar one,we hav heard of similar cases.These politicians are just thieves.Emmanuel Mwamba ,Mutembo Nchito,George Mpombo,Masumba and many more hav been appointed while there hv been cases pending somewhere.

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