The Lusaka Magistrates’ Court has acquitted Patriotic Front member Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba after finding him with no case to answer in a matter in which he was accused of threatening to go for President Edgar Lungu’s throat.

When the matter came up for ruling, Tuesday, Magistrate Nthandose Chabala said the State had failed to provide enough evidence to put Mwamba on his defence.

In this case, Mwamba was charged with one count of proposing violence against the Republican President when he allegedly said he would go for President Edgar Lungu’s throat.

Mwamba is alleged to have uttered the statement on March 2, 2016.

During trial, the State called four witnesses among them Hot FM journalist Logic Lukwanda who testified that he attended a gathering where Mwamba allegedly said he would go for Edgar Lungu’s throat.

He, however, could not state the exact words or produce the recording of the said event.

Former PF deputy spokesperson Frank Bwalya also testified that the matter was reported to police after a Lawyer allegedly heard Mwamba uttering the words in question on Hot FM.

Bwalya said he never personally heard Mwamba uttering the alleged words.

And arresting officer, Webster Moonga, testified that GBM threatened to go for Edgar Lungu’s throat and not that of President Edgar Lungu.

Moonga conceded that there were a lot of Edgar Lungus in Zambia.

Moonga also told the court that he did not investigate the matter.

In her ruling, magistrate Chabala said the officer did not investigate the matter thoroughly when he arrested and charged Mwamba for the subject offence.

“It is clear that he arrested and charged Mwamba without necessary investigation. When he was cross examined, the officer agreed not having investigated the matter. In totality of the evidence, the prosecution has failed to make a case to put the accused on his defence. I therefore acquit Mwamba and set him at liberty,” said magistrate Chabala.

And speaking to journalists after the ruling, Mwamba said he knew from the onset that he would be acquitted.

“I knew that this would be the outcome, that this was actually expected and this is a fair ruling,” he said.

Asked if he was angry that he was taken to court for defending a party which had treated him unfairly, Mwamba said; “I am disappointed with UPND lawyers. They really abandoned me because I had actually changed camp, not because of my own making but because of their so-called president HH. He is the one who actually hounded me out of the party using 75 NMCs. He met members to eject me through their so called meeting. So in a nutshell, I am not worried about what they have done but what is important is the outcome of this court ruling. I think I have learnt my lesson and I want to tell Zambians that that is UPND for you, all of you should learn. If they can abandon a person like me, who helped them so much in the 2016 election, today, they treat like a piece of trash, Zambians, wake up. And by the way, the Chishimba Kambwilis, the [Harry] Kalabas Milupis, wake up, you will also be abandoned just like I have been abandoned.”