Kambwili put on defence for criminal libel

By CHARLES MUSONDABARELY a month after being jailed two years for forgery and uttering false documents, National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Chishimba Kambwili has been found with a case to answer for defamation of the President.If convicted, Kambwili faces up to three years imprisonment.Meanwhile, Kambwili’s aide-de-camp Christopher Kangwa has been found with a case to answer by the same court for allegedly forging a school certificate and obtaining pecuniary advantage amounting to K343, 691.12 from the RTSA.Lusaka Magistrate Felix Kaoma yesterday put Kambwili on his defence after the State closed its case following testimony of the last witness.In this matter, the NDC leader is charged for alleging that President Lungu and Lusaka business executive Valden Findlay were using the presidential jet to courier drugs. Testifying in the case yesterday, Captain Kamima Nyirenda said he started flying President Lungu when he was Home Affairs Minister and that he was surprised that the presidential jet had been associated with carrying huge sums of money and drugs.Capt. Nyirenda, 44, said he was also surprised that Kambwili alleged that the jet had been flown to Israel and that whenever the aircraft was flown abroad Mr. Findlay was on board, matters which were false and meant to bring President Lungu’s name into disrepute.“At no point has Mr. Findlay been on the aircraft whenever it has been flown abroad. Further, at no point has the aircraft ever been flown to Israel, facts which are well documented in the flight authorisation book.The case has been adjourned to February 15 and 17, next year for Kambwili’s defence. In the same court, Mr. Kaoma found Kangwa with a case to answer for allegedly forging a school certificate.Kangwa is alleged to have fraudulently uttered to RTSA human resource manager Emmanuel Longwe a forged certificate to get a job as an enforcement officer.