Cart is empty By LUCY PHIRI
THE Lusaka Magistrate court yesterday refused to issue a bench warrant against Inspector General of Police, Graphael Musamba for failure to attend a court session in a matter Socialist Party President, Fred M’membe lodged a complaint of defamation against him.
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Magistrate Chrispin Hampungani said in his ruling yesterday that Dr M’mebe had no authority to make an application for the court to issue a bench warrant against Mr Musamba because he did not seek consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to have his complaint tried by private prosecutors.
He said the other reason was that it was the first time that Mr Musamba was not before court as such, he was giving him a benefit of doubt.
Dr M’membe, former managing editor of the Post Newspaper Limited in liquidation stated in his complaint that Mr Musamba caused to be unlawfully published on various media platforms, defamatory matter concerning him with intent to defame him .
Dr M’membe stated that on August 8 2023, Mr Musamba, the accused held a press briefing at the Zambia Police Service
Headquarters in which briefly he was the core subject with his name being mentioned several times by Mr Musamba.
Dr M’membe stated that in the said press briefing , Mr Musamba utterred among others that, “ Socialist party leader Fred M’membe‘s statements on various social media platforms are inciting peace-loving Zambians into a civil disobedience among other utterances.
The court adjourned the case to September 11 2023.
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