Union boss acquitted

Charles Musonda writes NATIONAL Union of Building Engineering and general Workers (NUBEGW) General Secretary Bryson Nyirenda has been acquitted of giving false information to a public officer. Mr. Nyirenda, 59, was accused of giving false information to a public officer Angela Mwanza, who was returning officer for elections at the union’s quadrennial congress in 2016. This was after he presented his secondment letter from his substantive employer Millers Construction and won the election as general Secretary by 44 votes against 11 ballots. When the matter came up for ruling before Lusaka Magistrate FaidesHamaundu yesterday, the court did not find Mr. Nyirenda with a case to answer as the prosecution had failed to prove the case against him. Ms. Hamaundu said the basic ingredient of the offence that Mr. Nyirendagave false information to Ms. Mwanza had not been proved. She said according to prosecution witnesses, the letter which the accused person presented to the public officer at a time he has vying for elections was confirmed to be authentic hence the charge against him could not be sustained. The allegation against Mr. Nyirenda was that he presented a forged letter of secondment from Millers Construction for him to contest the position of general Secretary at the NUBEGW quadrennial conference. NUBEGW national trustee Jeff Matta was the complainant and Mr. Nyirenda was represented by Lusaka lawyer Hobday Kabwe. An in an interview after the ruling, Mr. Nyirenda said he was happy that he had been vindicated by the court of law. “With the grace of God I have been vindicated because when falsehoods or lies are brought against you the hand of God will be there to show that you are innocent,” he said. The Sun