CONVICTED People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president George Mpombo yesterday started his prison life with police effecting the bench warrant issued last Friday, resulting in him spending a night at the Lusaka Central police after losing his appeal against a nine-month sentence.
And Mpombo yesterday complained to police officers at Central Police that he had no blankets and wondered how he would spend the chilly night.
On Friday, the Lusaka High Court dismissed Mpombo’s appeal to have his nine months sentence quashed because it had failed in its entirety and that the subordinate court conviction and sentence should be upheld.
The Lusaka Magistrate Court last year sentenced Mpombo to nine months imprisonment for theft by public servant, forgery and uttering a false document.
Prior to his detention yesterday Mpombo was taken to the High Court by police officers for other formalities and later taken to Lusaka Central Prison between 14:30 and 15:00 hours.
Lusaka Province police commissioner Lemmy Kajoba confirmed the detention of Mpombo and said that he would be taken to the High Court yesterday.
“Mr Mpombo is in our cells on orders from the court for contempt. It is not a police matter, it is a matter coming from the court. There are two issues, the bench warrant and the sentence slapped on him. What would happen now is that he (Mpombo) would be produced before the court on Monday,” Mr Kajoba said.
He said he was not sure whether Mpombo surrendered himself to the police or not but was driven to Central Police by police officers.
“I don’t know whether he surrendered himself or he was brought here. It’s like he told some journalists that he surrendered himself, but I am not sure. I only saw him (Mpombo) when he was brought to Central Police and officers locking him up because prisons don’t take in prisoners over the weekend,” Mr Kajoba said.
And speaking in an interview from the police cell, Mpombo who did not want to say much said it was okay in the cell.
Mpombo, who looked shocked in the cell with his traditional long beard, was clad in a blue jean and a checked shirt.
Police officers at Central Police pleaded with Mpombo’s relatives who went to visit him to get him some blankets because the night would not be friendly to him.
Earlier in the morning, Mpombo bragged that he was in town relaxing before he enters the prison gates yesterday.
He said he was not expected to meet his lawyer as opposed to what he said on Saturday because he was advised that there was no need to rush for a meeting.
Mpombo said he had nothing to do yesterday apart from relaxing in town and have a nice meal while waiting to go to jail yesterday.
“As for now I will just be in town relaxing and waiting for tomorrow to go to prison,” Mpombo said.
Meanwhile, former deputy Minister of Transport and Communications under the MMD government, Alfred Ndhlovu, said Mpombo should blame himself for failing to retire government travel imprest.
“Many of us were ministers and came out clean and smart of travel imprest issues because we accounted and retired the imprest as required by regulations. Permanent secretaries are controlling officers who usually and politely ask ministers to account for the travel imprest. This is a shame, I pity him,” Mr Ndhlovu said.
Chashupa Ba Mwisho. Too bad for you. Sad though.
Hah, finally! I have been breathlessly waiting for this Cocroach to get locked away. It tried in vain to sing praises about Sata being as fit as a fiddle, the PF govt doing a commendable job, blah blah blah!!!
thats my president, he is coming back a better leader after 9months
This is befuddling, real thieves are out there.
We will miss your English dictionary
What are you worried about Chatsa” Every released prisoner will be speaking shocking English. Its for the better. They will explain how flabbergasting and mind Jarring the prisons are in the hope of getting them fixed. Time for these buffoons to fix them. They will be there next beds. Kekeke
@cat power
my presido is a metal,, he will add value to the prisons,,kkekekekekek
To avoid living in perpetual obloquy, Mpombo has succumbed to his penitentiary obligation as prescribed by his jailers. Hopefully he will emerge spotless after his term of service. By the way, everyone in jail is innocent.
Go do your time you vagabond! You take so much pride ridiculing your political competitors and yet have nothing to offer apart from that jargon you spit!
But how many days are remaining before he would finish his 9 months jail term?
For a small matter he is in chooks but what about the big wigs who owe DBZ,etc etc.
shame on us zambians….
Why is easier to prosecute and convict those who steal little/less than those who steal the entire DBZ (K14b +) and the MOH (Kapoko + company)????
Especially ilyashi lyakwa KAPOKO and his accomplices. Some cried their eyes out about sick parents and to a great extent admitted to the crimes. However, they now hold other high positions and are roaming the Lusaka streets as free men.
A’m sorry Mr. Man. Politics are useless
Real thieves are freed time and again while innocent and poor pipo are jailed
Although Mpombo commited a crime for not retiring imprest, the acquital of real thieves like Kapoko and the two defense chiefs leaves bitter taste in the mouth. Kapoko can not be innocent as viewed by the omniscient eye of God. Yeta and Mihova are also guilty of receiving stolen money from Sakala. Yet the court using legal technicalities spares kapoko, Mihova and Yeta while convicting poor Mpombo. There is no justice.
Mr. Ndlovu whatever you are stop bragging that you retired all the imprest. How do we know? Some of you were Lupiya Banda’s bootlikcers who must have been protected.
In 9 months time, ba Mpombo basanga abakashi balipapa.
I don’t think I understand the Zambian Legal System at all and may never comprehend it! If someone’s cheque fails to clear, why is this a crime only in Zambia? And to be humiliated and jailed for such a trivial matter! Why not community service?
Your Zambian judges are a joke, honestly. That is why cases of defamation so why when in the developed world they only exist among celebrities etc.
@Hola. YOU ARE MISTAKEN. MPOMBO IS IN JAIL NOT BECAUSE HE BOUNCED THAT CHEQUE. I THINK THAT MATTER WAS DEALT WITH. BUT NOW HE IS IN JAIL FOR FAILING TO RETIRE IMPREST. GET THE FACTS CLEAR.
@ You answered yourself In Zambia. That’s the answer. Every country has its laws. like its illegal to spit in China. And whilst in India they practice how far they can spit. lol
let mpombo prove that he doesnt use a dictionary .. he must write letters from prison with his big words…
Ba Mpombo may be you were using your advanced learners dictionary words that judges failed to understand! Learn to use simple language to express yourself for easier communication. However, Sorry for your sentence
PF thugs will run away when I become the next president. Kapoko, Mtembo Nchito and others have been left unchecked.
He is a cockroach and you are a pig (Suntwe )?
But this is embarrassing for Mr Mpombo.Forging and altering invoices at his age and at one time acted as republican President of Zambia!And how much was involved really? His political life is now in tatters.Who is going to listen to him anyway?
I hope the man took the vaseline lubricating petroleum jelysious to apply in the backplaces .
Sata what have you done to my President? Lol