The Kabwe High Court has granted a KR15, 000 (K15 million) cash bail to 74-year-old retired Mkushi farmer accused of causing the death of over 50 people in last week’s road traffic accident in Chibombo.
The court has also ordered that the accused, Abraham Vandeem, surrenders his passport to the State and should report himself to the nearest police station every after two weeks.
This was after lawyers representing the accused from Kabesha and A Woods and company appealed to the High Court against the Kabwe Principal Resident Magistrate John Mbuzi’s decision to deny the accused person bail on grounds of his nationality and that the said his investment in Zambia had not been tabulated.
Vandeem, who appeared before Mr Mbuzi on Tuesday for reading of the charges which took almost 45 minutes in a fully packed court room.
This is in a matter in which the accused person whilst driving a Toyota Land Cruiser registration number ABH 2214 is alleged to have caused the death of 51 people by dangerous driving contrary to the Laws of Zambia.
In granting the bail, Kabwe High Court Judge Eddie Sikazwe said the accused should have two working sureties in the sum of KR5 000 each.
Mr Kabesha and Mr Mulenga said they were happy with the ruling but appealed to the courts not to discriminate against foreign nationals when dispensing justice.
Awesome ! I`m happy that his democratic right has been granted.All animals must be equal.The gravity of the case doesn`t matter as long as it is his right to be granted bail(bailable offence).
Sure
Spot on tata
#1 Mo Taim guy makes me crazy, the other day he is was 2nd to call for arrests of umusungu. Nadabwa sana, lelo you change mind that bailable offense. Glad that you have come into senses.
Actually it has taken too long time for the old man to be granted some dignity.
I am not happy. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This man was safer in custody
Sounds like you will do to him what the UNDERTAKER does best
What are you going to do if his acquitted. don’t judge yet wait for the right people. Mind your grammar
Bail is cheap in ZED only KR15000 sure??
its human right and meant not to make the applicant fail to meet its conditions. literally, it was suppose to be free as every person ois presumed to be innocent until time you are proven guilt. The dilemma the margistrate found him self in is that these foreign nationals have dual nationalities and will surrender one pass port while use the other to be on their heals back to their countries. worse still, their countries are not willing to try them for their criminal actiovities as long as its not their people who have been killed.
It all deafits the legal process.
Justice!
This is the end of this case! The case will drag for months till acquittal.
Good I dont think that old man will run away. He is not like the Bandas who have a a DNA attuned to asylum. Thieving Rupiah wants to join Henry in Sandton according to our clever president M C Sata.
Strong racism, that they are pointing fingers to someone white.
He looks similar age as my soon father in law, If I did find out they were remotely related I would fight, tooth and nail to have him acquitted
I am so sick of blatant racism in he 21st century
Someone pass the puke bucket
Thanks
@Mushota know when to crack your jokes and when to pass. This man is charged with causing 51 deaths by dangerous driving and you can be flippant about fighting for his acquittal. Wonder if you would have the same attitude if one of the deceased was your husband. Like any person, he is entitled to a free and fair trial. Its one thing during/after the trial that the man is remorseful and he is given a suspended sentence because of his health. Be alittle sensitive young lady
It’s ‘my soon-to-be’ …….
@ Distant Drums. Imagine having to read through pages and pages her thesis.
* I meant ‘pages and pages of her thesis’. Trying to multi-task
Uli cipuba Mushota stanyoko. Nooko akanyo ukununka we mbbushi we .iidieoti . Ulebelesha iimpombo shinobe waba ululenda mu chiinyoo
Mushota, I hope your man has a big dick like a black man. Here, your fellow women, black or white are fighting for a black dick and you being a desperate and show off chap from kalingalinga are busy trying to paint a picture like you are so well off with that kama white you found in a club somewhere. Come grow young poompoom.
Don’t condemn the man to deah.
If you drive you will agree that time and again we make mistakes that can be be very costly. I don’t think this man had intentions of causing the death of anyone. It was just a misjudgment which can happen to all of us.
We are just fortunate we haven’t walked the path he is walking right now.
@Cs, your views are very logical and well thought, great.
Nonetheless he caused death by dangerous driving.He has to pay.In fact the victims’ relatives need to sue him for wrongful death. Some of those people had families depending on them.
But He still refuses the charge…so…..
Just deport the PFOOL
Much as 51 people died in that accident, his case is bailable.
Judge Sikazwe!!
I will hold you fully responsible should the murder accused one Abraham Vandeem not turn up for the next court hearing.
Due to his age I’m however happy his been granted bail but all we see for is justice to be seen to being done. Iam watching these whole video play till its end
satanists will always celebrate..this man has to hang..PF knows what he did is wrong but they keep trying to twist things..
Mwe bekala chalo bane bushe ishi nsele muletukana apa will not take you anywhere. Mushota is not a sane person but only a decoy. The case is bailable and therefore the man is entitled to ‘that democratic right’ . Kudos to judge Sikazawe….in mambwe or lungu we say ” awe twataizya ya Sikazwe” meaning we thank thank you judge Sikazwe. It’s unfortunate and sad to see so many lives lost as a result but I do believe that all three drivers were at fault to some degree. Bus drivers are the worst culprits….overhaul the whole RTSA and void all Bus drivers’ licenses…..create a new data base and then re-issue new DL’s to all who meet the criteria. The PF has to show its mettle for once before more lives get lost.
Inzaghi,
I seek your education comrade.I believe the juveniles suspected of killing a taxi driver in Roma a Month ago are still denied bail. One being 16years old while the other 14. My simple question is. What’s the difference in the two outstanding cases that is in the manner bail conditions have been applied. Lastly, I stand to be corrected. You mean as at current murder is a bailable offence in Zambia now?
His intention was not to murder. But those boys you are talking of had ‘MURDER’on their minds whem they did wha they did. I hope this explains
Causing death by reckless driving is not murder. It’s still death by accident.
Do you really have to waste your time on the so called “Mushota?” Just ignore her! I just wonder why you get so worked up. She is just a joker and it seems she is managing to have you guys worked up! She is not what she portrays herself to be…..maybe she is a MAN!
Did the judge ask him to surrender his passport? He can flee the country very easily. On top of that Zambia is a death-penalty country so he can flee to a country that does not support the death and say he can face the death penalty if he was returned to Zambia and you will never see him in a Zambian court again.
Reader? That’s a good one.
If you “read” the article, you will see that it clearly states in the second paragraph that he was told to surrender his passport and report to the police every two weeks.
Maybe you should try to get your news from the radio instead?
Causing death by dangerous driving is NOT A CAPITAL offence,he cannot be sentenced to death if found guilty.
Let them just free him he never intentionally planned to kill the people, lets put the blame on our roads. May be in 6 yrs when he is 82 yrs he will die of natural causes
There’s a possibility of an acquittal here. Was there a navigational continuous or unbroken white line to warn the driver of the Land cruiser against overtaking? If not, the culprit is not the driver, but RDA especially that it was raining and visibility was poor. Did the oncoming truck have its Head lamps on? If not that’s a legal problem too. By the way, there must be a mandatory rule that all vehicles on long distance must have their Head lamps on, especially public service vehicles. Its very helpful. Let me not comment further folks, I may prejudice the case.
the result of his cearless driving was terrible,like one worker at the lusaka airport playing on a folk lift accidentally drove into a loaded DC10 warming engens for take off,he make a big hole that the flight was cancelled and all on bored booked into hotels pending other connections and DC10 flow empty to london for maintenance.Clearlessness is costly gentalmen..the white should theonly available cowprit
ok, granted that this a bailable offense and its down to the courts to try him based on evidence. Why question is that is there an upper age limit for the issuance of a driving license in zambia? my learned compatriots please educate me. This guy looks so frail, he should not have been driving at that speed on a national highway. My analysis: he walks with a cane which shows partial motor disability, he also has impaired vision, his advanced age means that he has diminished crisis management capabilities and slow reaction time, his brain to foot and brain to hand impulses are slow. Verdict: LICENSE DENIED! Has he shown any remorse i wonder? If so he should be put into protective custody for his safety. He may still present a flight risk as this is a high profile case- Lets see..
That accident was caused by overspeeding on the part of the bus, not this old chap. You have to blame the police too because they amn road blocks only to correct brides and not arrest erring drivers, especially the bus ones. This old man has no case to answer, he will be acquitted.
Sir, if the bus was over speeding, why was he trying to over take it?
At present we still have lots of pipo in our jails that haven’t been granted that bail that had no intention to kill.But in the final scoop they killed & all they treated is moved from prison to court to face trail & back to prison. Months & months pass if not years before their cases are even heard. Justice! Justice! Justice! A cry for the poor & the don’t have….
Some are accused of stealing a Chiken but they have not been offered that bail guys! When we talk let’s be fair & let’s ensure the play field is always leveled for all humanity. I love my country & its people
all the drivers could have avoided the accident if they were not over speeding. just charge the old man and suspend his license for a year since it was an accident.
THIS IS GOOD FOR OUR JUDICIARY.
BUT THIS CASE IS A DIFFICULTY ONE TO CONCLUDE BEYOND ANY REASONABLE DOUBT, BECAUSE THE TWO DRIVERS (PRINCIPALS) WITNESSES ARE DEAD.
BY STANDERS AND LOOKERS DO NOT REALLY GIVE AN ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF WHAT HAPPENED AND IT IS VERY DIFFICULTY TO PROVE IN A COURT OF LAW.
ANY WAY LETS SEE HOW THE CASE UNFOLDS.
Lets not make our own judgements over emotions. We should look at all facts before us. The accused is innocent until proven otherwise. I dont think he was happy to have been involved in that fatal accident. Our police rush cases to court and get stuck in the midist of trial and begin applying for adjournments. I do not think the charge that was given to him was right. What about the drivers of the truck and the bus? What was the state of the vehicles before the accident? The fact that the drivers are dead does not prove that they observed the traffic rules before the accident.
THATS A GREAT NEWS, AS A HUMAN BEING I AM VERY HAPPY FOR THE ELDERY FARMER THAT HE HAS BEEN GRANTED A BAIL.JUSTICE SHOULD BE EQUAL FOR ALL. A ZAMBIAN OR A FOREIGNER.THIS GENTLE MAN DID NOT HAVE TO SPEND EVEN A SINGLE DAY BEHIND THE FILTHY POLICE CELLS AS THE OFFENCE WAS BAILABLE. NOBODY IS GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY BY THE COURTS. MY HATS OFF TO THE KABWE HIGH COURT AND TO THE JUDGE WHO GRANTED THIS POOR HUMAN BEING THE FREEDOM ON BAIL. PF GOVT HAS PROVEN TO US THAT FREEDOM IS THERE IN ZAMBIA FOR THE INNOCENT ONE EXCEPT FOR THE PLUNDERS LIKE OTHERS FROM PREVIOUS M.M.D GOVT.
Vengeanceis not for us, let the law take its course. let us also pray for the old man and the families that have lots loved ones.
You guys must be joking!How can you even assume that the deceased drivers were also wrongThe question you need to answer is,’ did Mr Vandeem not overtake the post bus?’Would the accident have happened if he remained on his lane without overtaking?Someone ignited that accident for it to happen!Hey late the deceased rest in peace,they are not here to defend themselves.
well well well,51 dead and buried and the farmer walks Scott free.go and cause and accident in SA,china,states,UK and 51 perish and see if at all you will get any bail.As usual soft hearted Zambians can let a man like that go free.i don’t care whether he is 74 or 24 years old,the fact is he caused the death of 51 people due to his reckless driving.do you know how many dependents each of the deceased had?families have been robbed off food,school,shelter etc because of this crazy old farmer.i say let the bail be revoked and let him be hanged.
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