NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili yesterday failed to appear before the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court as he is still unwell.

Kambwili is reported to have COVID-19.

In this matter, 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, 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.

However, when the matter came up for continued trial before magistrate Mwaka Mikalile, Thursday, the State informed the court that all the accused persons were before court apart from Kambwili.

At this point, one of Kambwili’s sureties Kwangu Mukupa told the court that the accused person was unable to attend court because he was still unwell.

Mukupa a teacher of Lusaka’s Lilanda area, said he was in possession of documents from Roan Antelope Hospital in Luanshya, Copperbelt, to show that Kambwili was still sick.

He told the court that Kambwili had done a test for COVID-19 but said the doctor who attended to him said the results would only be ready in two week’s time.

The surety also submitted the documents to the court for perusal and verification.

After going through the documents, magistrate Mikalile adjourned the matter to September 17, 2020 for mention and setting of trial days.

Last month, Kambwili announced on his Facebook page that he tested positive to COVID-19 and was under isolation.