LUAPULA Hydropower Corporation Limited and its two directors, Brian Chisala and Katambi Bulawayo, have pleaded not guilty to the charge of failure to surrender water permits before the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court.

This is a matter in which Luapula Hydropower Corporation Limited, Chisala and Bulawayo are charged with one count of failure to surrender water permits contrary to the provisions of section 86 (2) of the Water Resources Management Act No.21 of 2011.

It is alleged that Luapula Hydropower Corporation Limited, being a company incorporated in Zambia and having its registered office at Plot No. 62 Roan road, Kabulonga, Lusaka, and the two directors between August 7 and 27, 2020 in Lusaka, having been served with a Notice of Surrender of Water Permits Numbers 10371 and 10372 failed to surrender the permits as required by Section 86 of the Water Resources Management Act No.21 of 2017.

At the last sitting, WARMA in-house lawyer Chapatama Ngaba applied that the indictment be amended to add Chisala and Bulawayo as the second and third accused persons in the matter, which application was granted.

Ngaba then applied for an adjournment following the amendment of the charge sheet in order to serve the two other accused persons.

And when the matter came up before Magistrate Nthandose Chabala for plea, Monday morning, the company and the directors had the charge explained to them.

Asked whether they understood the charge, Chisala and Bulawayo who represented the company and themselves said they understood and pleaded not guilty.

After plea was taken, Magistrate Chabala adjourned the matter to October 21, for mention and November 6 for commencement of trial.

In this matter, the accused persons are represented by defence lawyers Jonas Zimba, John Mulwila and Chimuka Maggubwi.