A 62-YEAR-OLD man of Kalingalinga Township who allegedly assaulted an Anglican Priest whilst he was preaching at the pulpit, has been dragged to the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court.

Renard Mwale, a machine operator, has been charged with one count of assault occasioning actually bodily harm.

Particulars of the offence allege that on November 22, this year, in Lusaka Mwale assaulted Borniface Baleni thereby occasioning him actual bodily harm.

Chief Resident Magistrate Lameck Mwale allocated the matter to magistrate Judy Chiyaika when it came up yesterday.

The accused is expected to take plea before Magistrate Chiyaika.

Police in Lusaka arrested Mwale on Monday after he surrendered himself to Kalingalinga police.

The police had initially launched a manhunt for him before he surrendered himself the following day.

According to a statement issued by Police spokesperson Esther Katongo on Sunday, Mwale allegedly beat up the priest as he was delivering a sermon on that day.

She stated that initial Investigations had revealed that the accused person was among a group of church members who were fighting the Priest over the church car park space.

Katongo added that it was further alleged that the Priest had been calling for church elections, a move which had angered some church members.

“Police in Lusaka are looking for a male adult only identified as Mwale of Kalingalinga Anglican church alleged to have assaulted an Anglican Church Priest whose names we have withheld. This occurred today (Sunday), November 22, 2020 at 10:30 hours in Lusaka’s Kalingalinga compound whilst the Priest was preaching at the pulpit. It is alleged that the accused person went to the pulpit where the priest was and ordered him to stop preaching , and when the Priest resisted, he begun dragging him and also punched him on the face with fists and he sustained swollen lips,” Katongo stated.

“Initial Investigations have revealed that the accused person is among a group of church members fighting the Priest over the church car park space. It is further alleged that the Priest has been calling for church elections and this has angered some church members.”

Meanwhile, the matter in which NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili and others are facing 39 counts of possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime, uttering a false document, among others, has been adjourned to February 12, next year for continuation of trial.

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.

The matter is before magistrate Mwaka Mikalile.