The three have since been charged with two counts of conspiracy and they appeared in the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court yesterday for explanation of the charge.
Steven Phiri, Steven Chooka and Milner Mwanakapwe are also charged with unlawful possession of other people’s National Registration Cards (NRCs).
When the matter came up, the State applied for an adjournment so that the charges can be separated because conspiracy to murder can only be tried by the High Court while unlawful possession of NRCs can be heard in the Magistrate’s Court.
But defence lawyers objected to the application and asked the court to dismiss it.
In his ruling, senior resident magistrate Kenneth Mulife adjourned the matter to today for plea in the unlawful possession of NRCs and explanation of the charge in the conspiracy to murder case.
Mr Mulife also reserved ruling for bail application to today.
This was after defence lawyers applied for bail stating that the accused persons have been in custody for over a month.
“Your honour, we wish to make another application for bail, pursuant to Section 123 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The law is clear that any person arrested over a bailable offence can be granted bail,” one of the defence lawyers, Keith Mweemba, said.
But State prosecutor Godfrey Mwanyino objected to the application on grounds that the accused persons are a danger to the witnesses in the matter.
“Your honour, we have considered that the offences the accused stand charged with are bailable and being the discretion of the court to grant bail to the accused.
“However, we strongly object the application because some witnesses who are key in this matter, whose lives are in danger, may be interfered with,” he said.
Another defence lawyer, Martha Mushipe, argued that the court has discretion to grant bail upon fulfilment of the set conditions.
“Your honour, the accused persons are of fixed abode, able to provide sureties and two of them are service men in the defence force and they reside in a barrack situated in Lusaka West.
“Our view is that this court grants them bail on the basis of our submissions and the fact that two of them are unwell and need medical attention,” she said.
However, Mr Mulife said the court could not grant bail to the accused persons before taking plea and explanation of the charges.
It is alleged that between June 30 and August 8 this year in Lusaka, Phiri and Chooka, who are soldiers, and Mwanakampwe, a businessman, jointly and while acting together with other unknown people, conspired to murder Mr Banda and Mr Zulu.
The three suspects are also alleged to have unlawfully possessed eight NRCs belonging to other people.
IN THE FIRST PLACE HOW DID THESE UPND CADRES EXACTLY PLAN TO ASSASSINATE RB?
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This is News to me, why the h.e.l.l would UPND plan to assassinate the former President? You people wonder why I say UPND is not a party to rule over us. The party’s internal structure is so wicked and full of blood shed traits. LT kindly narrate the planning ordeal. Be categorical; how did they plan and how were they caught? I see another nolle if you’re just thinking that people planned to murder RB in cold blood. I am waiting for a narration.
Just because someone is accused of something doesn’t mean its true-especially in Zambia. There is no evidence given in the story to suggest they are guilty so why don’t we wait for the prosecutors to produce the evidence before we start scandalizing UPND. This is not 1982 where everything you read in the papers is true,the 21st century calls for people to be scrutinize information before making judgements.
Dirty Kaiser is still alive and participating in s***x party fights. No surprise.
But on RB, how come he got caught up in gang retaliation?
Kuti waseka kwati nafiwama.
Is our president ever sober? Coz the way he behaves, iye sure!!!!
Anyway, let me not comment further….many have found themselves in prison for doing a lot less.
UPND cadres being defended by the UPND legal team. This shows how much HH was involved in the whole thing from the beginning
Really laughable do you know how much a bullet costs to waste on RB and KZ!!
What??? is it that expensive? But how come Kaiser always shoots on people and cars? How much was 3 bullets he missed on Kavindele?
@Nostradamous: You have missed the joke.
@Ba Vision, its really laughable!! Kekeke… You wish Kaisa to perish from akashende?
This is sheer fabrication and rubbish, a lie sounding like one. Niboza…..
wait for another nolle
UPND Lawyers representing the assassins, I small a big rat, UPND Lawyers representing the arsonists I smell another big fat rat.PF Media director’s brother murdered in cold blood at some stronghold, i Smell an extraordinary rat. This is indeed FORWARD .Something seriously wrong somewhere.
That’s not a rat you are smelling dude, it’s actually your unwashed underwear. Dullness exhibited by PF supporters should be prosecutable mwe
THORN IN THE FLESH, is really a thorn in the flesh. he gets gospel truth from media and incomplete court cases
Don’t get twisted, if I be a thorn in your AZZ and I give you a brain s.u.c.k.e.r p.u.n.c.h you get yourself a tumor n’ be wasted. I did not write the article. I am just on the Op-Ed end. When I grind my analysis on the matter you get yourself s.c.r.e.w.e.d, why? I am a respecter of Government Institutions and h.a.t.e.r of brain.l.e.s.s critiques. Don’t impersonate the OG Terrible. Get a life and Gimme a break.
hahahaha, ka Thorn in the chakuti kaponta. In our current dispensation a supporter of this excuse you call a government is quite brainless to be honest 🙂
THE UPND IS SO DENTED WITH WICKEDNESS SUCH THAT IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR ANY ORDINARY ZAMBIAN TO VOTE FOR THEM. JUST THE MENTION OF THOSE LAWYERS GIVES THEM AWAY.
We all know well that it is PF which is dangerous from the time of its inception. PF have killed, many opposition and even their own people and we have seen them scort free. What you are saying bwana on this PF media is fake. If UPND was worthless, when HH was released we would have seen that no one would have celebratrated but it was country wide. If you stay inside the box, you must move outside and see what is happening on the ground. BAD GOVERNANCE ATI PF YILEBOMBESHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I totally condemn that Phiri swine , that ***** I guess his mother is Tonga.its sad that now upnd sort to kill people from eastern province.i recall Daily nation published a story of Nyamazayes came put it clear of killing easteners and the matter was ignored. What about never a Mumba , is he clean in this issue ?
hahahahaha, ok dude you have broken the sound barrier of stu.P!dity and it is funny!!!! Imwe tekwipaya nokwipaya coz the country would lose a mentally challenged funny guy and we do not have many of your type. yaba. smh. Kudos, your pet Mr P has escaped from his cage come get him boyi.
If you start political killings whilst in the opposition, where would we be if you became our leaders? Zambia saw the waste kind a political terminators in the UNIP and FTJ’s MMD era. We do not want to roll back in that kinda life. People successfully found wanting in such issues must be put away for years. There is currently no evidence to disassociate UPND from the evil spell we are currently under. It’s top leadership does not build but always entangled in spooky behavior. I guess no amount of image building can salvage it from this bad name it has earned itself. They are busy puking unprintable slander about our motherland to the international community, what unpatriotic lots. We UNIP and MMD, PF will not rule over us for G. UPND might not be even near. Don’t spoil Zambia out of…
… sheer selfishness.
With the avalanche of nolles, the failure to prosecute successfully even one case against the UPND because all arrests are made on trumped up charges, I would think you would see the pattern of ineptness in your judiciary system starting from the arresting officers. The only silver lining to these arrests is how your people are made to look extremely fo.o.lish in court. The fact that you believe these clearly trumped up charges when there is a very visible trend of similar useless charges against the UPND that never stick in court further solidifies my argument about how shallow and non analytical PF supporters are. You are like Trump supporters. Very loud and very dull.
What is the motive here? Is it funding PF or throwing weight behind PF or contracts, please elaborate ba upnd.
Nolle
Look at the shameless PF rats above hoping for some fake cases to come true……..you PF rats are so du.ll that you believe anything, no wonder Zambia is now ruled by PF thugs and their demonstrations…
Expect more nolles………..
HH is desperate for power and will do anything.
What happened to your treason case ? Or the GBM training UPND youth in the use of golf clubs to overthrow GRZ ..?
Rupiah Banda just wants publicity. Theres noone who would want to kill Banda or Zulu. What for?
NO soldiers can fail to ELIMINATE RB AND KZ so this is cooked up story because both statesmen mentioned no one will have the audacity taking their lives , these are men that have contributed alot to zambia;s economy and democracry, my role models, even KZ iam sure is not worried
How do some people ‘think’? Because it involves RB and Kaizer, then it must be UPND. Does the story refer to that? Anyone could want to get rid of those two, if at all the allegation is even true.
RB, Kaizer na baciteni citeni aba, they actually deserve to meet their ancestors for the sake of peace.