The Lusaka Magistrates’ Court has restored bail for a senior public prosecutor from the National Prosecutions Authority who has been dragged to court for allegedly using insulting language against his ex lover, a fellow prosecutor.

Recently, Richard Nyeleti’s bail was revoked on grounds that he was interfering with witnesses by continuing to issue derogatory remarks against the complainant.

In this case, Nyeleti, 49, is charged with using insulting language.

It is alleged that Richard Nyeleti, on September 17, 2018 in Lusaka, did use insulting language to Chipo Gura to which he did said ‘iwe chihule, ninakuchinda chinini chako (you prostitute I had sex with you…) in a manner likely to give such a provocation to the said Chipo Gura so as to cause such a person to break peace or to commit an offence.

When the matter came up before magistrate Thandose Chabala, Tuesday, a 34-year-old Public Prosecutor at NPA, Muleya Simusa of Kanyama compound narrated that on September 15, 2018, Nyeleti went to his place in Kanyama requesting for material to use to write his assignment, which he gave him.

He narrated that when he met Nyeleti at NPA on Monday, he asked him if the books were of help to him.

Simusa said later on as they were leaving the reception, Nyeleti asked him if he was going to go to ZIALE and he said he wasn’t.

He said as they were speaking, Gura, the complainant bypassed them and when Nyeleti passed some remarks against her, the two started exchanging unpalatables.

“I told him that I can’t go to ZIALE because I have financial challenges. I will go next year. As we were discussing, madam Gura by passed us after I greeted her. After she by passed us, Mr Nyeleti said ‘it is not good to go to ZIALE. You will die with high blood pressure, stroke’. It was at that point that madam Gura responded in Nyanja that ‘Mr Nyeleti ndimwe bakuli, mukula mulibe nzelu (you are old, but you are growing up without wisdom)’. Then Mr Nyeleti responded ‘iwe chi hule nimaku chinda, chinini chako’,” he said.

Simusa narrated that everyone who was around at that time was shocked by Nyeleti’s insults.

“The next thing I heard from madam Gura was ‘ine ba Nyeleti?’ and he responded ‘yes’. At that point there were a lot of people, we were all surprised. I was initially intending to come with Mr Nyeleti to court using his vehicle, but I left him,” he narrated.

“Later in the day I was phoned by an officer from service headquarters, that’s how I went there to give a statement. I went to see Mr Nyeleti at Kabwata cells later on when he was apprehended. He even sent me to go and buy food for him, which I did.”

And Foster Jere 36, a secretary at NPA said she heard Nyeleti using insulting language and being a woman she was offended.

Magistrate Chabala later restored Nyeleti’s bail and warned him not to interfere with the witnesses.

Earlier on, Nyeleti had applied for an adjournment on grounds that he was unwell but it was rejected because he had made that application after one witness had already testified.

The matter has been adjourned to November 23, for continued trial.