Court frees Jay Jay

THE Chipata Magistrates’ Court has acquitted suspended Patriotic Front (PF) Eastern provincial youth chairman Emmanuel Jay Banda of the offence of unlawful assembly.Chipata Senior Resident Magistrate Boniface Mwala dismissed the offence on account that the prosecution team failed to prove a case beyond reasonable doubt that Banda committed the crime.Mr. Mwala said the ingredient to the offence for the prosecution was that Banda neglected to at least give the police seven days’ notice of the intention to convene a procession.He said Banda through cross-examination consistently laboured to establish that there was a programme for the youths convened by the Minister of Sports and Child Development who was in attendance.He said this was exhibited through a video clip in court and through an unmarked official ministerial government programme for the Youth Empowerment and was unrebutted by all the prosecutions witnesses.Magistrate Mwala therefore dismissed the charge and acquitted Banda accordingly.Particulars in the matter were that Banda on August 20, 2020 in Chipata, acting together with others unknown held a procession from Protea Hotel to Luangwa House.- Smart Eagles