LUSAKA Principal Resident Magistrate Mwaka Mikalile has threatened to issue a bench warrant against NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili, his son Mwamba and Mwamona Engineering and Technical Services, if they fail to attend court at the next sitting.

This is a matter in which Kambwili, his son Mwamba, Mwamona Engineering and Technical Services, Lukwesa Musonda Brano and Mulenga Makasa Kapilima are charged with; one count of making a document without authority, one count of uttering a false document, two counts of obtaining pecuniary advantage by false pretenses and 35 counts of being in possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime.

It is alleged in one of the counts that Mwamoma Engineering and Kambwili on dates unknown but between August 1, 2014 and September 30, 2016, in Lusaka, jointly and whilst acting together by means of false pretence, dishonestly obtained US$105,220.07 from China Henan International Corporation Group Limited, purpoting that Mwamoma, a company which was subcontracted, was executing the works on Luwingu-Mansa road when in fact not.

Kambwili and Mwamona are also alleged to have presented a false ZRA tax clearance certificate to ZESCO purporting that it was genuinely issued, resulting in the award of a contract of K8 million for the construction of Houses and toilets under the Lunzua Hydro Power project, thereby obtaining pecuniary advantage of a contract sum of K1,652,482.81.

The five allegedly committed the offences between February 2014 and September 2017 in Lusaka and Copperbelt Provinces.

However, when the matter came up for continued trial before magistrate Mikalile, Monday, Kambwili, Mwamba and Mwamona Engineering Technical Services were not before court.

A prosecutor from the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), then informed the court that the State had not received communication as to why the three were not before court.

He however, said due to the absence of the lead prosecutor, parties had by consensus agreed to adjourn to a later date.

But magistrate Mikalile expressed concern with the absence of the other accused persons and sent a warning that if they would be absent at the next sitting, she would place them on warrant.

She noted that all the accused persons were not present at the last hearing, adding that the matter had not taken off this year.

The matter comes up on July 27, this year for continued trial.