LAWYER representing Andrew Banda says defamation charges slapped against his client have been withdrawn and the case closed.
But Police said they recorded a warn and caution statement from Andrew, who is son to former President Rupiah Banda, and his release was on condition that he should not continue engaging in acts of defaming President Michael Sata.
Andrew was arrested and detained at Woodlands police station on Thursday for allegedly defaming the President.
He was alleged to have uttered derogatory remarks against the Head of State at some in Chipata eastern province.
Andrew was due to be officially charged in Chipata where the alleged offence was committed.
His lawyer Milner Katolo from Milner Katolo and Associates said in Lusaka yesterday that police had withdrawn and closed the case against his client for the sake of peace and harmony.
Mr Katolo said what this entailed was that Andrew was a free man who would go about his normal business.
He said police withdrew the warn-and-caution statement recorded against his client on Thursday evening after Andrew was again yesterday summoned at Police headquarters.
However, acting police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said in a seperate interview that Andrew had been released on condition that he did not commit the similar offence failure to which he would be re-arrested as investigations against him were still ongoing.
Mr Hamoonga said the reason of recording a warn and caution was for informing the suspect that the police were aware about what he was doing.
He said that it was normal for the police to warn and caution a suspect and release him but in Andrew’s case, police had informed him through warn and caution that they were investigating him against the offence of defamation of the President.
Mr Hamoonga said that while investigations were still ongoing, the ball was in Andrew’s hand to choose whether to stop the alleged suspected behaviour of defaming the President or face an arrest if findings proved that he had continued with his behaviour.
Andrew said in an interview that he was grateful of the professional manner in which the police high command and those at Woodlands police handled the matter.
Andrew who thanked his father, lawyers, sister and friends for being there for him said democracy was paramount in his life because he did not just believe in it but fought for it in the UNIP era.
He also thanked the media for being proactive and highlighting what transpired starting from the court complex up to the police station.
He, however, said he was saddened with the conduct of the police officers who arrested and treated him like a terrorist at the Lusaka magistrate’s court when he had not resisted their request.
They have started to tone down….thanx for recent bye elections.
I might be in a long wrong relationship. Is it normal for someone to be beat by their boyfriend, because it shows how they ” love them”?
Thanks
Headless police men with an erratic president at the top including a moron inspector general of police. Thank God people are realising that they are being ruled by misguided leadership and corrupt system who find pleasure in violence and deceit. How do you arrest someone for saying the obvious- Sata is useless kailii is suffering from diminished responsibility as is even finding it difficult to differentiate between a light moment joke and a crude insult- cipuba sana uyu kateka aba ukufyala abana ba mufigololo.
But this is embarrassing please bwana solomoni jere
Embarrassing to who? Sata is a good man, he could have arrested me long ago. But he understands that me & Andrew Banda are a few tough opposition standing.
And only what we are asking him is to discard Judge Ngoma first, then he punish Kabimba for insulting ECZ, the two may jeopardize 2016 elections.
A victory for democracy,human rights and an egg in the face of PF govt.You can’t let some lunatic shoot in the air recklessly and not prosecute him yet go for a less threatening Andrew Banda.That smells to high heaven.
In addition the lunatic in question is a convicted thug who should actually be inside as we speak and also fired shots into a crowd recently in Livingstone! If these are not hallmarks of a failed state then Sata is an extremely self-effacing intellectual, with a sensitive and compassionate tongue.
Definitely this was total ridiculous. Someone shows up a a political rally and fires a gun and causes violence that even plays out at the Police Station and you don’t arrest him and charge him and today he is still free.
But somebody just says Satanist and the whole police burns fuel to travel to Lusaka and arrest him. Lock him up in cells without even access to his lawyer. This is total nonsense. How can the police really even find time to fight real criminals. This is absurd.
Perhaps we need a high profile person to be prosecuted fully and get the judges to throw out the case. This offense needs to be taken off the statute books. I have noticed that the state always withdraws the charges before the cases go to court. They know that the courts will throw out the a case and set a precedent. Such laws belong in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.
So you are trying to say that arresting Sata’s wife for “car theft” was not a waste of time, not nonsense or absurd but entirely justified use of taxpayer’s money and national resources? Not to mention Sata’s espionage “case”, car theft “case” etc. Remove the plank from your own eye first bwana then maybe someone will take you seriously
And what about Mr Darius Mukuku, who was sentenced to 18 months simple imprisonment for defaming President Banda on March 18, 2010? The case was not dropped, the man was actually in jail
Which President did Andrew defame?? Zambia does not have a President at the moment.
The last time I checked we had a Comedian UKWA residing in State House, that’s not a President, he is a Comedian….. Case closed please.
If Sata though removing subsidies to finance his budget overrun will go down well in the minds of Zambian’s, he will have a shock of his life.
The grace period given to PF is long gone. We need seriousness between now and 2016, else you will remain with less than 20 MP’s before 2016.
Sorry “meant thought”
I.G Stella Libongani must come out and explain to the public why a gun wielding PF cadre was allowed to go scot free and yet the former Presidents son was harassed and intimidated by police for stating obvious facts about our current president. The people of Zambia have lost total confidence in the Police force which has shamelessly become a PF security unit.Never in Zambia’s history has the police become so useless and under the watch of a woman no less.What a disgrace to all Zambian women!
´´His lawyer Milner Katolo from Milner Katolo and Associates said in Lusaka yesterday that police had withdrawn and closed the case against his client for the sake of peace and harmony´´
The police must professional not just rushing to arrest people on `wind`allegations without any solid grounds then drop those charges for the sake of `peace and harmony`…. .. this is stu.pid now the police with their instuction from above look FULISHI
Libongani lito.le
…lyaba noko @.
If elections were to be held today, PF would lose lamentably. After 2016, there will be no PF.
Has the ‘Cobra’ run out of vernom?
popcorns please
@Real Patriot
Pop corns? No, no please try ordinary crisps.
Next time silliness is shown towards the
State President those people will be jailed.
Andrew Banda now knows.
But you A.Banda sata always insult your father when she was in opposition, now why are complinig and crying like a baby when police lock you inside ?
They better stop these useless arrests if they donor hear about such
It’s bad news for the government no money for them, just one sanction
and They country will be on its knees
If your name is sata by practice you are satanist
A ruling Party being laid bare in mid term elections. What does it mean? They are speaking with one voice in regard to the following:
• Free the media
•Fire the Chief Justice
•Restore the subsidies
•Cut down the Government in half
•Stop unnecessary By elections
•Stop Bemba tribalism and nepotism
•Sata should speak to the people via a press conference.
•Sata should stop insulting
The loss should drive a so called ‘listening Government’ address these issues urgently, other wise heavy defeat knocks at your door!
Why arrest a person if no evidence ? This family has o respect for the rule of Law or Zambians at large. Remmber a fortnight ago , it was reported that Rupiah was abusive at court when denied to travel to Tanzania. Rupiah is supposed to show leadership qualiteis and statesmanship by advising his children not to behave like like they were also presidents for zambia. I ve never seen an arrogant and so useless and corrupt person like Rupiah. Where on earth ,and in this day and age cann a head of State and , several of his cabinet ministers all receive gifts from business houses without disclosure? Why didn’t the party mmdd declare the donations at a fund raising function? Rupiah knows that the act itself is a disgrace for him as a person , so he is supposed to say sorry to Zambians.
@Zam Yamb,Ask the Satan.is to declare the Billions of kwacha he and his son Mulenga have amassed since 2006 in donations.The chap can’t even over fly Taiwan for fear of his plane been brought down by the people he owe colossal sums of money.What about his numerous mansions he owns in and around Lusaka?And the chap only declares seven guns!One of which his royal thug Judge Ngoma is using at bye -elections to terrorize the voters.The list is endless……
Its a pity. All points are true. Sad this man is dragging ‘ Bembas’ in his poor governance. We dont support his actions and insults!!! Akatuletelela uyu muntu. Getting hated cos of his action. Truth is he is not a bemba representative, you all voted for him
They are just bored. Their genuine cases are not exciting enough for them so the keep going for a high profile person. Its time for these guys to hand over power to a party with a ‘can do’ attitude.
If someone comits offence you arrest convict then pardon
South African diplomacy is like a swimming duck, Zuma looks calm but underneath he is paddling like hell. After all he can close that ka economy anytime he wants if any dictator says nyo
How many times did President Sata insult his predecessors?
And how many times did he find himself at police stations?
Ok Andrew is not a former president, but President Sata set a precedence and he surly should reap what he sowed, innit? Law of nature…….
I don’t understand what has happened to Andrew Banda. He was such a decent fellow, once upon a time. The time we started MMD in Chipata, that time at the launch of the party, country-wide, when he was the MMD candidate for Chipata Central Constituency. He had no caustic language then. Where did it all go wrong? Maybe his sojourns to other parties, such as UPND, with their penchant for abusive language did the sad trick?
Influence from his father. The man rupiah is supposed to be behind bars but he goes to court and police stations to tell the police they shouldn’t arrest offenders and offenders must run away from the country
Darius Mukuku was sentenced to 18 months simple imprisonment for defaming President Rupiah Banda on March 18, 2010
*Mukuka
President SATA fire the incompetent Policemen. He arrest was silliness and an embarrassment to the President. I think ONE DAY We Zambians should team up and beat the hell out of these reactive Policemen that want to impress the President. They don’t know that there Job is to protect the citizens. VIKAPOKOLA VOPUSA. Like they didn’t go to school.
@ THE PRINCE,
Did you say ‘the president should fire the incompetent policemen’?
Haven’t you heard the answer when police are asked about their weird actions, ‘we are simply carrying out orders from above’.
It would have been a different story had PF won Chipata central. The PF has realised that they are not popular in Ku m’mawa. Easterners are slow to change their minds about government because they are not like monkeys who skip from tree to tree but like the field mouse who always watches his next move. Go through the history of politics in Eastern province and you will see that they stuck with Nkumbula for longer, before going to UNIP and then stuck with UNIP before MMD. Now PF must prove itself before the sun shines on them in the East. So far, te sana!
Yes. U are right. The PF must prove itself worthy of the east’s vote! But with their (PF) thuggery, banditry, arrogance and satanism, they should forget it!!!
I wonder if the president can still ride a public minibus as he used to do when he first got elected. Arresting somebody for defaming the president is a secret weapon at the hands of the police, they dont have to prove anything but simply accuse you even if nobody heard it except some fake paid cadre.
‘We have said it before and we will say it again that Michael Chilufya Sata is not fit to be a minister or hold any public office. Sata is not only a public nuisance but he is also a liar as well as a selfish, unfeeling and cantankerous character.”
‘But as for Sata, he would have had nothing to lose, not even a loss of good reputation, since he has none. This man is not only unruly, but he is also greedy. Early this year, when Lusaka City Council had stopped the sale of its houses. Sata ordered that a house be sold to his father-in-law. And now when the entire Avondale area is all but dry for lack of water, he has directed the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company to deliver a tanker of water every week to Sharry Hill house, one of his Avondale properties.’
The Post newspaper
In summary- A very bad week for the government! Lol
I think it’s quite a good week for government actually because all these people who are shouting that democracy doesn’t exist in Zambia have been proven to be lazy liars who just like making up stories – how does opposition win 3 parliamentary seats in a “dictatorship”?
why arrest pipo when there is no case at all.
NAVIZANDA FULU!!
AWE MKWAYI, NAVIZANDA SANA KUMAPOKOLA!!
BOZA UBUFI HAS CAUGHT UP WITH PAMA.FI
OK NDELOLESHAFYE
Your stance is wrong ,that’s why we are where we are because of such silly attitudes because your relatives are being appointed left,right and center , and your have no problem with that,ka?Pure monkey behavior, when you are full you don’t care.
Why arrest a person if no evidence ? This family has o respect for the rule of Law or Zambians at large. Remmber a fortnight ago , it was reported that Rupiah was abusive at court when denied to travel to Tanzania. Rupiah is supposed to show leadership qualiteis and statesmanship by advising his children not to behave like like they were also presidents for zambia. I ve never seen an arrogant and so useless and corrupt person like Rupiah. Where on earth ,and in this day and age cann a head of State and , several of his cabinet ministers all receive gifts from business houses without disclosure? Why didn’t the party mmdd declare the donations at a fund raising function? Rupiah knows that the act itself is a disgrace for him as a person , so he is supposed to say sorry to Zambians.
Read between the lines, PF is just afraid of spoiling their little chances in Mkaika and Petauke by-elections yet to come. Everywhere you go people are talking about how pf is loosing popularity at sky rocketing speed because of intolerance and arbitrary and authoritarian style of leadership, if the party does not repent it may not last beyond one term in gvmt.
They are just afraid of spoiling their llittle chances in mkaika and petauke by-elections
Very soon, very soon the kwacha will NOSE dive and become worthless like the late Zimbabwe Dollar.
I will stop saving my money in Zambian kwacha. Zambia and it’s economy sucks.
Mwe bantu, please stop wasting Tax payers money. This was a useless case to pursue, if we really pride ourselves as a “Democratic Nation” If one speaks garbage, & untruths about our leaders, surely we can see through the lies- as we are not daft. The case that should have brought charges, is the case where some idi*t is alleged to have fired a gun @ a Political Rally. Please get your priorities right, or chimbokaila will be your bedroom in a few years time.