Thursday, March 28, 2024

Drunk Zambian diplomat, Langford Banda injures two police officers in New York

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Langford Banda stands uneasily outside his home on Monday.
Langford Banda stands uneasily outside his home on Monday.

A sloshed Zambian government official who “reeked of alcohol” and could barely talk slammed his car into a parked NYPD van in Queens on Monday morning, injuring two officers, police sources said.

But Langford Banda isn’t going to face criminal charges or even get a traffic ticket — thanks to his diplomatic immunity.

Banda, 41 — whose blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit — was simply allowed to sober up overnight at the 112th Precinct station house before walking away scot-free.
“He was a total mess,” a law-enforcement source told The Post. “He got off because he’s a diplomat. Not our choice.”

Banda, who works as the second secretary of communications for the African nation’s UN mission, lost control of his 2006 BMW and sideswiped the parked van on 180th Street near 90th Avenue shortly after midnight on Monday.

Despite their minor injuries, the officers in the van pulled over the boozy diplomat and immediately saw his “bloodshot eyes” and found he “reeked of alcohol” as he tried to talk, sources said.

Banda could hardly hold himself upright as he stepped out of the car for a Breathalyzer test, on which he blew a staggering .158 blood alcohol level — almost twice the legal limit of .08, the sources said.

He was so boozed up, he didn’t even remember he possessed a Get Out of Jail Free card — his Zambian diplomatic credentials.
Cops were unaware that Banda had diplomatic immunity until they got him back to the 112th Precinct station house in Forest Hills and realized he was carrying a US State Department ID that showed he’s a member of Zambia’s UN mission.

After confirming Banda’s identity with his homeland and conferring with their superiors, cops were left with no choice but to release him without charging him with a crime.
The Zambian was picked up at the station house by his wife, Ellen, who drove him back to their home in Jamaica, where he was able to sleep off his hangover. The Post found him a few hours after his release, still lounging in a pair of pajamas. With bloodshot eyes, he tried to downplay the international incident.

“It was nothing like that,” Banda proclaimed when asked about the drunken-driving allegations. “I was involved in an accident but I was not drinking.”
Officials at the Zambian Mission’s offices on East 52nd Street in Manhattan declined to comment.

Source: New York Post

65 COMMENTS

  1. When former bus conductor Chiluba became president – we saw a rise in buses in zambia,when Mwanawas was president we saw a rise in Lawyers,when Sata was president we saw a rise in Kaponyas, now that Lungu is president we are seeing a rise of Drunk govt officials ..hehehehe

    • Bring him back to Zambia and send someone sober and well mannered. A thorough background check on these people before they leave would be very welcome not just employing them based on who they know (connections) back home. This is very embarrassing.
      Zambian beer-drinking habits of swimming in a whole drum of chibuku kuti na mu mbovu imveke ntimbwi need to be left back home.

    • Langford – Anytime a Diplomat invokes Diplomatic Immunity, he is no longer worthy to be a Diplomat.

      Start getting your Katundu together baba, Total Recall in progress!

    • Hey babyboy, you in the pic the nephew to late Sata. We had enough beers at Cindy’s Nite Club in Kitwe in the 90s, Are you still doing the sh*t instead of raising kids if you got any.

    • This is silly and quarrelsome.

      When did President Lungu appoint the man in question?

      We must learn to respect the institutions of government, regardless of whether the office bearer is our preferred person or not.

      Good luck with your attitude.

    • OH YES! HOW CAN THIS MORON NOT DRINK WHEN HIS MASTER AT STATE HOUSE BACK HOME IS THE NUMBER 1 DRUNKARD? HOW CAN GOD BLESS ZAMBIA WHEN THE LEADERSHIP IS NOT GOD-FEARING? AS LONG AS DRUNKARDS LIKE CHAKOLWA CHAGWA KALE LUNGU AND THIS CHI BANDA CONTINUE RULING US, DON’T EXPECT TO RECEIVE GOD’S BLESSINGS AS A NATION. MORE SUFFERING AND HARDSHIPS WAITING FOR YOU ZAMBIANS UNDER CHAKOLWA’S LEADERSHIP.

    • In the developed world, this guy would have tendered his resignation the following morning to avoid being fired and blacklisting.

      In Zambia he would be considered “unfortunate” to be recalled and continue to work at the Ministry in a lucrative post.

    • Ifintu ni ninani ? Iyamba yamba chabe….Drunkards are now in power…tighten your seat belts…..head-on colision……this is what you wanted so deal with it

    • Maharaji, I never thought like that? But I think it is too early to start blaming the current president for that. Did he appoint the guy? No, he didn’t.

    • This is the calibre of diplomats we send to embassies. This Langford is a kapenta drunkard and should be recalled. The diplomatic mission has lost its standards because we send anyone. Look what happened with Mutubila. We should not even condone this behavior ati ” nibantu nao”

    • Umm, bitter *****. The man can drink for all I care, he makes better decisions that some of your sober fathers!

    • This guy was sent into diplomatic service by his late uncle President Michael Sata and not Edgar Lungu. He is the son to late president’s sister, who is also deceased.

    • There is too much laissez-faire attitude among the Zambian diplomats in New York. It is like they went there to just shop and party. Kalaba should assign seasoned diplomats to that station. As for now people miss meetings and just go about their own business forgetting why they are there.

    • My thought exactly! Sending someone who had never worn pyjamas before now he thinks it is an attire worn by diplomats outside. This man looks like a drunkard. Why do we belittle ourselves as Zambians by sending people like him to foreign lands? God help us!
      This kaponya should be recalled!

  2. Actually the cover you have above will flow downwards. We have to pray to be protected from the spirit of drunkenness since the head am told drinks a lot. But I and my household shall not be drunkards in Jesus name. Shame to the Easterner Banda drunkard. I am sure the President wont see anything wrong. The birds of the same ………

  3. This is very common among diplomats. It’s all that duty free booze.

    It was wrong to drink and drive, he ought to have called his wife to collect him and have his car collected the next day. Thankfully it was a police van he slammed into, they were able to remove him off the street for safety of others.

    No doubt he’ll get a warning, but recalling him would be a little too heavy and costly to the state. Funny thing, …His a excellency just said Diplomats should behave and not lazy. You pity him his error and bad judgement.

    He must be shooting himself in the leg!

  4. Good report indeed now we know the type of representatives we have at UN desk in New york. The mumber of troops and police officers in peace keeping missions in recent years has reduced drastically because of such PF cadres who have no mission or purpose for being in NY.

    But sorry to say ECL will be smilling because this drunken Banda and EL are in the same boots. (ALL DRUNKARDS)
    Sad to know that this is what Zambia an imposter Christian nation has chosen to have.

  5. This muppet needs to be recalled and fired in national interest. There are better people we can send to represent us. Is this the best we can offer? Talkative Honourable Kalaba should ensure his Permanent Secretary takes disciplinary action , instead of just justifying H.E’s foreign trips.

  6. Zambians are used to this kinda of life, drunk driving! This is very normal in Zambia, check out the bars and night clubs in Zambia, they are parked with cars outside and the owners are busy getting drunk and will not hesitate to get behind the wheel The USA should change that law, at least such behavior should amount to losing the driving licence for a minimum of a year.

  7. He will get promoted for being a good PF student, thats what they teach them. Drink, fight, insult and steal, he has mastered the PF manners very well

  8. Please bring him back Frank in Italy, this drunkard in Queens and the rest of old man Sata’s . ..let’s appointed seasoned diplomats to represent our country not silly cadres! !

    • iwe chi Jayjay, so you are hoping that if they recall them then you will have a chance to move into their shoes? you tired of cleaning toilets abroad so now you want to become a diplomats.

  9. How could you do that? don’t you know that there are a lot of people who campaigned and are now on the queue for getting a job in foreign service? keep your fingers crossed.

  10. He represents Zambia on the UN for communication, last time I checked UN jobs are not given by hand picking but are based on selection through interviews unless something has changed.

    • Last time you checked? Where have you been sir/madam? Jobs such as this one are handed based on family/personal relationships with the powers that be, never on merit. Maybe the missions in say Kenya or Ghana are on merit, but the UK, Australia, USA, Canada jobs…..its your name that qualifies!

  11. Check the name Langford Banda. Langford is the name for the Michael Sata’s father. I wont go further. Don’t worry about the surname.

    • This was one of President Sata’s favorite nephew’s. His a useless chap wanting to sleep with peoples wives in New York. Recall him please, very arrogant bastard.

  12. This is more than enough damage to our country. He definitely needs to come back and drink from our local pubs. We should not allow this well intended immunity to be misused by our drunken brother who ever he is . This is a shame on our nation.

  13. This story has been spiced up. In the New York Post it clearly states that no breathalyser test was conducted on him. Whoever wrote this article should be objective and not seek to destroy at any cost.

  14. THAT GUY NEEDS TO BE FIRED!!!! What a poor representation of the country. Send him back home!! What am I d i o t. I’m glad he doesn’t have immunity to democracy and I can call him all the names in the book. Pendenja.

  15. Langford Banda is the nephew to late Michael Chilufya sata…infact he was named after late headman chitulika..one Langford Sata the father to Michael Sata!

    • If it is tyre that this nincompoop is truly Sata’s nephew then Zambia is rotten to the core. We need an investigation into how many if Sata’s family are employed in the foreign service. If we had credible media this could have been done but alas!
      What a shame! What a clown and what a circus Zambia has become!

  16. If you’re drunk on Monday morning then what time do you sleep and have a clear mind to carry out important duties pertaining to the mission of the Nation? Just when the president is on a mission to fix Zambia’s image abroad we get this. This is a set back. Please send this f00l back home. We need sober and serious people promoting the good name of Mother Zambia.

  17. How many people on this site have not gotten behind the wheel after having a few? Unless those without a car? Come to Kabulonga and see those Americans driving after drinking at the restaurants or Radisson Blu hotel. But you don’t see the negative publicity nor them being put behind bars. And it’s important that the hate speech ends. We are tired. Sorry to Langford and it’s important to learn from these minor mistakes

    • The drinking and driving in this country takes place because the law is not enforced. Just because people drink and drive it does not make it right. I drive and if I am driving I don’t drink more than one glass of wine. This is a legacy from living in the UK. I am not saying British people don’t drink and drive. They are some who do. Here in Zambia drink and drive seems to be the norm sadly. We are irresponsible. I am surprised that they aren’t more accidents than they are.
      Attempts at rectifying the drink and drive offences don’t work because the police are corrupt. It is another way of making money!

  18. For bashing them let him get the cops a beer or a nice warm whisky, with the cold weather in the US, I guess the guys would not mind. Twalibuninwe, ni timbwi.

  19. I am looking forward to hear comments from people who know Mr. Banda well. I have seen him before and he seems to be cool. Accidents happen to everybody and should not be cerebrated. He made a mistake and I am sure he will learn from it.

  20. We need to clean the whole ENTRE mission, and bring serious people, it’s dented. Mr Lungu, clean New York Mission.

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