Trial in the case where opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema is charged with fabrication of false news with intent to cause fear and alarm to the public failed to commence today.
This was because his lawyers applied for an adjournment when the matter came up for commencement of trial before Lusaka Chief Resident Magistrate Joshua Banda today.
Mr. Hichilema’s lawyer Sakwiba Sikota applied for an adjournment so that his team could obtain instructions from their client.
Mr. Sikota told the court that in view of the High Court ruling to refer back the matter to the magistrate court despite citing constitutional issues that are likely to arise during prosecution, the team hoped that the same shall not be used as stay for the proceedings in this matter.
He told the court that his team was not ready to proceed with trial today because they were waiting for full instructions from their client upon knowing the status of the matter.
This was despite the state prosecution team being ready to begin trial today. The prosecution team did not however object to the defence’s application.
A Ms. L.M. Phiri, who was leading the state prosecution team, stated that considering that the dates for trial were set last year in December, the adjournment should be short.
In passing ruling on the application, Magistrate Banda directed that the case comes up tomorrow for commencement of trial.
Mr. Hichilema 50, is facing one count of fabrication of false news with intent to cause fear and alarm to the public contrary to section 67 (1) (2) of the penal code and cap 87 of the laws of Zambia.
It is alleged that Mr. Hichilema on June 11, 2012 did orally publish statements in which he said the PF had signed an arrangement with militia of Sudan to train PF youths.
Mr. Hichilema was quoted as saying “Prepare for trouble, do you know what is going on in Darfur? Do you know what is going on in Abyei? Do you know what is going on there? Killings!” statements which are likely to cause fear and alarm to the public.
He was accompanied to court today by his wife Mutinta, his lawyers Sakwiba Sikota, Keith Mweemba, Martha Mushipe and other opposition political party sympathisers.
ZANIS
HH should just defect and join the Boat. Just say sorry HH.you dont need to be squeezed like Nevers. Be wise!!!!
HH cant join PF for what?come what may We ar behind HH in UPND he is our president. No plce is permanant. We see peoPle coming and going out hence so is life.
HH DONT FEAR THE SATANISTS.TOO MUCH HUMAN SACRIFICE AROUND THE NATION.HH,YOU VE THE POWER OF THE LORD JESUS.THE BATTLE IS THE LORD
ftj, your HH is a manson,you mean you dont know ?
I DIDN T KNOW THAT H,H WAS A MANSON.SO DEVIL IS FIGHTING DEVIL……I PRAY THIS MAN IS NOT MANSON.THE BATTLE IS THE LORDS…..
he is not the type ho can join dogs.
Satanist! Do you really expect to win in 2016 with this satanic tag!?, what a shame to our poor party.
Satanism in UPND! wapya munzi, tizaonako!!!!!!!
A yamba kuyopa ka?
Kuyopa chani imwe naimwe. This is a case which requires thinking before going into it. This witch hunt of yours will come to a very miserable end ba Chimbwi no Plans governed patriotic fools
u yoself r a coward hiding behind a fake name, prove us me wrong and publish yo name
Fyanshi mwamba ngamwalikwata umwenso yama ?
Growing cold feet, eeeh?
If it means joining the Post lead PF.that is the worst thing he can ever do.The best is Chiluba had cases,Rupia is now an icon in Africa because he tolerated divergent views now here the application of law is selective.one says ex soldiers are planning to assascinate the president and he goes scot free.The heaven is watching and God hears the cries of his children……wait and see where we are herding to.
These rants have no place in the modern Zambia. HH was asked to retract his evil statement but he dared the government to arrest and charge him. So, why has he now grown cold feet and toes? Let him shame the government now. HH pride and insipid pomposity will eat him away as it is happening now. So stop crying …this is what he wanted.
HE WAS TOLD TO RETRACT BY THE CORRUPT DPP OWING THE NATION K14 BILLION.SELECTIVE PERSECUTION……THE BATTLE IS THE LORDS
He does? Since when? innocent children are dying everyday nanjala, crying bllody tears before they die! Cholera is taking them by the dozens and you say the Lord hears them? Does he care at all? Oh come now, don’t give me that crock of manure that he decides. Bullcrap! We want a sign that his ears are not plugged up with wax. Save the children! How difficult can that be for he who is said to be Almighty?
Mr. Hichilema was quoted as saying “Prepare for trouble, do you know what is going on in Darfur? Do you know what is going on in Abyei? Do you know what is going on there? Killings!” statements which are likely to cause fear and alarm to the public.
Is this it?! or is this just poor reporting?? Would be nice to mention exactly what he said because if the case is based on the above we are just wasting time…and resources.
That the Zambian Govt signed a memorundum of understanding with Sudan and that PF govt had sent zambians to train as militias to come and cause killings in Zambia. I guess that the case.
If they have him saying that…he is in trouble and won’t get any sympathy from the people…we need clean statesmen…not that the PF is filled with them though lol
The guy HH is now fearing to start trial coz the case is so straight forward. He lied and alarmed Zambians. Was told to retract the evil statement but coz of his insipid pomposity he refused with impunity. Now he is in hot soap…..Thats why we say HH and UPND have no strategy. Let HH be a man now…
Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.
and to hell with liars , where is the 90 days PROMISE? I ahve been waiting!!!!
HH did not lie of anything at all. Even you who is posting this nonsense seems not to know the real issues taking place in Sudan. Sudan fights its wars by proxy and training our young people there means our youths being subjected to becoming Militias ( gorilla warfare tactics) but against who? Are the the skills we would like to subject our youths too? Which country in the world have you seen befriending Khartoum ruling party? When someone points these truths out, then he should be subjected to trial? I would like this case to take off so that we should hear the government defend the wrong.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going; When living in a glass house, do not throw stones. …. I listened to an international lawyer on UNZA radio and I wondered how some lawyers try hard to defend the indefensible. When asked about his client’s case, he said there is no case and branched out to talk about many, utterly many unrelated issues to the case at hand. He has taken recourse to denounce Zambian leadership and government, mentioning anything even basing his citation on some fabricated write ups by one online newspaper. That Lawyer has gone out oh his way to discredit the country even to the extent of blocking foreign investment, just because he wants to be paid well! He went on to paint his client as a faultless, clever and successful man. What some lawyers say and do ..!
HH is now playing time wasting tactics. I hope he is not wasting peoples times otherwise he will lose a lot of credibility.
Why adjournments? This guy did not adjourn his careless word. Bring justice that’s all we want.
So whats going to happen if he was to be found guilty. Whats the sentence?
Thomas, HH knows very well the sentence he is likely to receive if found guilty. Thats why he is crowing to start trial. Before he can appeal he will sleep at least 3 days in chimbokaila.
Sentence to death
Mwamba you are kidding me. hahahahahahahaha.
@Truth Hates do you agree with Mwamba.
I was thinking he would gate a much lighter sentence than that.
Mwamba you are kidding me. hahahahahahahaha.
@Truth Hates do you agree with Mwamba.
I was thinking he would get a much lighter sentence than that.
Ama adjournments in Zambia. That is why the Zambian judiciary is a joke. People make a mockery of our courts and the prosecution together with the judge simply acquiesce.
Iam sure HH has a water tight defense. The adjournment is just to make sure all is ok. The only thing we have to be wary about is the selective justice system. If the same statement HH made was made by someone in the inner cicle, nothing would have been done. Some guys in the inner circle repeated even more alarming statements. But as you know, there was dead silence from the police.
This is the president in waiting. The PF cannot handle an educated oppositon leader who is able to bring to light their shortcomings and flawed policies. The Pf govt is like a a group of pastors – they dont do as they say. Hypocrites to say the least. 2016 is not too far. I believe Zambia now needs to try an educated group of leaders. we tried the overzealous corrupt capitalists, now we have the skilled liars next we try the educated logical ones- UPND.
Politics as usual. We hard educated Ministers under FTJC. you know the story: The educated ones liquidated, sold, rationalized and privatized companies, they retrenched the workforce, misappropriated, misapplied and misused proceeds from the measures they took. They brought new economic dispensation, they never opposed third term bid. There was a spiral of thinking spiralin downward to no brainers but simply common citizens good at running down everything they found. Check we have educated ones at TAZARA. reports from that elephant run by the educated ones is pathetic.
Just recently, Silvia Masebo said a serious statement about the security of this nation but filthy mouthed remained closed. GBM once said that there were some retired General who were planning to kill Sata but that was’t taken serious. To me God alone is our hope coz everything He created will last to eternity. HH, God is with you.
Honestly could that be entertained in the court of law? Answer is big fat NO, you can’t go and rob Zanaco and expect to get away with it because FTJ robbed the same bank and got away with it, life isn’t as fair as that. As unfair as it may be HH wil have to carry is own cross and forget about sins of others because their time will come.
How i wish our legal system had fast track courts especially for dangerous crooks such as HH. I don’t want to wait for 2 years to see this guy in prison.
HH is all talk no bite; the chap is now very very quiet.
Its HH Vs The Post NewsPaper, Viva HH, Viva Zambian Opposition.
Why is it that being rich knows no education for the educated and the uneducated can become rich? Does wisdom come with education or with age? Are all educated people clever in everything than the uneducated folks? Is one’s parents dull than their off-springs or it can be vise-versa? Why is it that uneducated man/woman can be a successful enterpreneur than an educated man/woman? Education matters but only in one’s specialism, one can prove a disaster in other areas eg can a farmer do well in medicine, An electrician in pharmacy. Its a conundrum, education can be everything, money cant be everything. Some traits we are born with them, FTJC had a humble education but had very excellent verbal exposition.
NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HH. ALL YOU WHO ARE WISHING HIM TO BE PUNISHED YOU ARE THE ONES WHO WILL BE PUNISHED NOT ONLY ON THIS WORLD BUT IN ETERNITY IF YOU DO NOT REPENT BECAUSE OF THE HATRED YOU HAVE TO ALL WHO ARE NON BEMBAS. BEMBAS YOUR TIME IS RUNNING SHORT AND SATA WILL BE THE LAST BEMBA TO BE PRESIDENT OF THIS GREAT NATION PERIOD.
Mmmm very rubish guy you are. Who told you that Lusaka and Copperbelt are bemba lands. HH lost terribly in these two places. Thats why your HH and UPND will never rule coz you think tribe wins…Shaaaaa.
I thought it was HICHANI HIMOONDE, I was like Zambia will lose Africa cup, without HH.
Am glad his wife Mutinta accompanied him. Ba Florence Mumba you must do the same,escort your husband .come out of that rented house.
Glad you’ve also observed that. It’s not proper that other women should be always comforting Mumba while she’s mbwelekete at home.
Florence is not at home!
How can judge Florence Mumba be wife of Nevers Mumba? Thats is impossible
you reap what you sow,bwana HH you will be used as a lession to would be offenders,its not about tribe but pipo should desist from talking nonsense anyhow ..
Let HH face the law and reap what he sow. Thats why Sata used to say, he is under five and needs to grow wisdom teeth b4 he thinks of becoming a President. Te papa ngowa ku Roma!
People money talk, what is his sentence gonna be , he won’t stay in jail
The whole case will go away, these are just scare tactics
HH you are the man!! The battle is the Lords and SATAn will be defeated!! God bless you.
Causing fear and alarm to the public failed. Laws in Zambia are really misapplied.
Masebo the other day boastfully told the Nation that the Zambian air space is not secure plans land and take off as they wish without detection. PF please have morals and standards you are running a country and lives of people are in your hands its not a secretariat at Cairo Mall. settle your scores in the ballot box not abusing our Zambia Police and judiciary with fabricated crimes. shame on you mulibakulu what a heartless father of the Nation.
this site is full of haters with no credible analysis, too many pf paid bloggers, hence lags behind in stats of number of visits and posts. raise yo level of debating it will turn into another whti elephant like pf post
Afrcan politics,anyway bwana HH its time to substantiate your claims in court.and for al of you thinking HH wil be republican president in 2016,don’t cheat him.zambia has 10 provinces,upnd is only in 2.let’s wait and see how HH,mumba wil campaign seperately in mpongwe.
eya lelo imisesapono ilaponwesha( ha) thought (hi) (ha=hi) was above the law
HH can’t win Presidential Elections. He is too quiet, too conservative, he is an urban guy, he’s just too casual, he doesn’t tackle real national ssues publicly, he is always in the background, he’s over reliant on Southern Province! Look at Chipimo, he is becoming more and more influencial than HH. Let him come up with a different strategy!
Worst no time speculating HH’s leadership and presidency. There is nothing
Let us look out for whom God will provide to take over from Sata in the year 3000 not now. No leader is in sight in the arena.
Swallow this