Thursday, March 28, 2024

GBM sues M’membe for K14bn

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KASAMA Member of Parliament Geoffrey Mwamba has sued Post Newspapers editor-in-chief Fred Mmembe for libel, demanding K14 billion and an injunction restraining the newspaper from publishing defamatory articles against him.

According to a statement of claim filed in the High Court, Mr Mwamba said The Post ran a story which alleged that he had interests in three companies that bid for a contract with Zesco.

“Other companies, according to the document that bid for the Zesco contract and where Geoffrey Mwamba, who is Kasama Central Member of Parliament (MP) allegedly has interest, include Engilex, whose bid price for the contract was K14 billion, Premia Supplies Limited with a bid price of US$337,500 and Astro Holdings Limited with a bid price of US$405,000,” part of the article reads.

He said the article was titled ‘Police question GBM’s daughter Sibongile over Zesco deal’ which appeared in The Post newspaper on February 5 this year.
Mr Mwamba said the words mean or were calculated to mean that he is a corrupt businessman and exerted undue influence in acquiring the contract by having an interest in the companies that bid.

He said the words in their natural and ordinary meaning meant that he engaged in unfair business practices for the purpose of disadvantaging other bidders and that he is dishonest and untrustworthy.

Mr Mwamba said the article was meant to disparage him and cause injury to his personal and professional reputation and that he is unfit to hold public office as MP.
“The said words were understood to mean that besides Arizona Marketing and Distribution Limited, there exists a document that suggests that I had interests in the named companies that bid when in fact not,” he said.

Mr Mwamba said that he wrote a letter to the Post Newspapers explaining that he had no interests in the said companies and requested the paper to publish a retraction and apology.

He said the defendants failed, neglected or refused to render an apology and retraction despite being appraised with the facts and insisted on maintaining the story as published.

Mr Mwamba said the defendants published the words complained of maliciously and knew very well that the words or allegations against him were false or reckless.

He asked the court to restrain the paper from publishing or causing to publish similar defamatory words saying that his reputation has been seriously damaged and that he has suffered ridicule and embarrassment.

Mr Mwamba is claiming damages for libel, exemplary damages, K14 billion damages for malicious falsehood and an injunction restraining the defendants, whether by themselves, their agents, servants or otherwise, from further publishing or causing to publish defamatory words against him.

28 COMMENTS

  1. Well done GBM – Get the peoples 14Billion back – only this time he has to fork it out himself without his fuzi Mutembo – The people will still demand their 14 billion

    • @Mailkalange, how on earth you can think Mutembo will not be representing Mmembe in court, who do you think will be prosecutor?
      But K14billion is too much, that is more that the gross worth of the all Post Newspaper. Its best to sue for something Mmembe can afford, something like $10,000.

    • Get the people’s 14 billion back??? This person is suing in his personal capacity. How do you expect him to get the ‘people’s 14 billion back???

    • MuMmembe sued for K39million en still counting. Let’s get the last drop of blood from this impoverished minion at the post.

      The Zambian peoples money now sits at K38million and still counting.

    • @ Nostradamus

      stop being a frightened little man, a queer alarmist

      This is a civil case and therefor no prosecutor input will be required.

      Mutembo maybe involved as defense counsel but certainly not prosecutor in this case

    • Nothing wrong with demanding what you think is your worth; courts can even increase (or decrease) it. By the way have you noticed that a court can sentence you to 300 years in jail. (Which probably means your remains must still be in jail if we ridiculously consider it). So power to GBM for demanding 14billion Kwachas!

  2. Somehow 14Billion will be paid to us or someone else by Mmembe n team then after we want our money at DBZ paid in full with interest

  3. Greatness of time and nature. Mumembe always thought he is the only one who can call shorts, he troubles are only beginning to show; Only this time no need to pay the show is free and not in the past news paper.

  4. “He said the article was titled ‘Police question GBM’s daughter Sibongile over Zesco deal’ which appeared in The Post newspaper on February 5 this year.”

    GBM, is there a case when they were summoned and questioned? The post was just informing the public of what happened at the polce station.

    • But iwe zoona! Even my five year old daughter knows it’s not the reporting on the summoning of his daughter that GBM is suing, but for the lies published in support of that story.

    • Bo Sibongile, GBM’s contention is that the article named him as one of the directors in the said company. According to him the status is that he is neither a director nor shareholder hence he feels that the post are peddling lies against him by saying that he is a director.

  5. MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKY OF RUSSIA

    GBM MIGHT BE DESTROYED LIKE MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKY OF RUSSIA.

    IF THE POLICE HAVE ALREADY ESTABLISHED THE FACT THAT HE INDEED FORGED THOSE PAPERS WHICH CLAIMED THAT THE PAPERS WERE ISSUED BY “BOARD TIMBER LIMITED OF ZIMBABWE” AND “BORDER TIMBERS LIMITED” WHEN IN FACT THEY WERE NOT, WHICH OTHER EVIDENCE WILL THE POST REQUIRE TO PROVE THEIR CASE?

    PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ITS POLICE AND NOT THE ACC WHO ARE HANDLING THIS PARTICULAR FILE NOT THE ACC.
    NEXT TO MOVE IN WILL BE ZRA.

    IT IS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE POLICE COMMISSIONER OR THE MINISTER OF POLICE TO DETERMINE WHICH FILE OR WHO SHOULD BE PURSUED.

    • @ LUAPULA PREMIER …..I have to agree with you. State apparatus are too powerful for a single man or even with his family. And ex Russian billionaire analogy is a great example. The outcome of this is simple; GBM will face defeat.

  6. Fred Mumembe until 2008 was a darling of the nation. We all knew he spoke and stood for the truth. His troubles started when he lost direction he went into ‘business’ with a smooth talking fat desk lawyer who conned him of his hard earned money. He later went deeper into the forest when he contracted for a loan he didn’t fully understand and was told it was not him who owed but the airline. Fred was taken to the cleaners his 2million dollar ‘investment’ was infested. By 2011 his Post had been reduced to vuvuzela and a punching bag. It is now punch drunk.

    • We all knew? Speak for yourself. He was never truthful for me. I always knew he had his own agenda and that he was just hiding behind journalism.

  7. That 14Billion will haunt Mmembe to his grave. You will pay back somehow…if not now some day elo tizafakako na interest! Even your Grandchildren will be paying back, Mulandu siu wola

  8. Most Zambians blog like schizophrenia patients. What has Geoffrey Bwalya Mwambas case got to do with the litigation between DBZ case, defunct Zambian Airways & Mutembo Chito? There is no need to mix issues. Fred Membe’s post is an institution and any libel litigation brought about against The Post does not imply Fred Membe. Bwalya has just been charged by Woodlands Police station of corrupt practice, abuse of authority and forgery. In his litigation againts The post he is claiming that the fact that he is a director in one of the companies being investigated, then the post should have been specific. Bwalya is trying to create confusion around his criminal cases so that he could say such witness cannot be called in his criminal cases as they are witnesses in a civil matter. This won’t…

  9. One can sue for whatever amount they dream of …… It is up to the court to decide. Just because he has sued for K14 billion does not mean he will get that amount. No justification but good strategy ….

  10. GBM let the research begin…….Masheke & Others v Zambia Daily Mail Limited (SCZ Appeal No. 23 of 2002) [2002] ZMSC 50 (30 August 2002);
    Fungamwana and Zambia Daily Mail Vs Nalishebo SCZ No. 1 of 2000.
    Michael Sata Vs Post Newspaper Limited and Printpak (Zambia) Limited 1992/HP/1395.
    Sata v Chimba and Others (2010/HP/1282) [2011] ZMHC 74 (2 September 2011);
    Afro-American Publishing co v Jaffe (1966) 125 US App Dc 70, 366 F 2d 649, US S.C.
    Barr v Matteo (1959) 360 US 564, 3 L Ed 2d 1434, US SC
    Buckley v New York Post Corp (1967) 372 F 2d 175, 2d Cir
    Cobbett-Tribe v Zambia Publishing Co Ltd [1973] ZR 9
    Curtis Publishing Co v Butts; Associated Press v Walker (1967) 388 US 130, (1967) 18 L Ed 2d 1094, US SC

  11. This is time to teach the cockroaches their life-time lesson to restore sanity in this country.. Well-informed readers are now avoiding to buy and read a deceptive tabloid. After all there are more credible news items from the internet. Let the cockroaches read their own lie-infested newspapers.

  12. What GBM has forgotten is on international radio he himself said he got into politics to take advantage of business deals once in government. They could play that audio in court.

    • I am Judge in Charge, I have allocated the case to Justice HH with a pre-determined out come. Dont celebrate yet GBM, Be assured that you will get K14bn in your dreams.

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