PRINCIPAL Resident Magistrate David Simusamba yesterday issued a bench warrant against NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili for missing court in a matter he is charged with forgery, uttering a false document and giving false information to a public officer.

The said warrant is returnable on September 1, 2020.

When the matter came up for continued defence, Tuesday, Kambwili was not before court.

After State Advocate Mukuma Chipawa called the matter, one of Kambwili’s lawyers informed the Court that his client was not before Court as he was on seven-day bed rest.

However, Magistrate Simusamba expressed concern at the absence of Kambwili when the accused was being seen issuing statements to the media.

He doubted Kambwili’s sickness and placed him on bench warrant.

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

In this matter, it is alleged that on October 29, 2013, Kambwili with intent to defraud or deceive, forged a ‘no change return’ (Companies Form 71) purporting to show that it was genuinely signed by his son Mwamba when in fact not.

It is further alleged that on the same date, Kambwili knowingly and fraudulently uttered the same document to an officer at Patents and Companies’ Registration Agency (PACRA).

In June, this year, Kambwili said in his defence, that Mwamona Engineering and Technical Services was incorporated by his wife Carol Chansa in 2001.

“This is in view of the fact that prior to Mr Tayali reporting this matter to the police, he held a press briefing where he made allegations and I quote: ‘Honourable Chishimba Kambwili had registered a company with a fictitious name with a view that he can be getting company contracts as a minister without being depicted that he was involved in that company.’ During that briefing, he stated that the company was registered in 2013 when I was Minister of Youth and Sport in government. To the contrary, Mwamona was registered in August, 2001, way before I was either an MP or a minister in government,” he said.

Kambwili said the Genesis of the registration of Mwamona was that his wife, his sister Daisy Kambwili and himself were running a company called ‘CK Scrap Metal Merchants and General Contractors Limited.

He added that he was also running a company called ‘CK Technical Services Limited whose directors were himself, his wife and another.

Kambwili said when he got involved in politics, the two businesses started having problems due to political interference by the then-MMD government.

“There were instructions given to mining companies, who were principal customers not to deal with any companies where Chishimba Kambwili was a director,” he recalled.

Kambwili said consequently, his wife decided that she needed to register a company with their son, Mwamba Chishimba Kambwili, and his younger sister Sampa Kambwili.

He said the only directors in Mwamona were his son and wife as they later on decided not to include his sister.

And Kambwili said the signature he was alleged to have forged in the first charge belonged to him.

He said he had never forged a document in his life and that he was a law-abiding citizen.