Esther Mwaata Katongo says the police will not entertain a complaint from Hakainde Hichilema’s wife Mutinta alleging that police officers broke in and stole various items in the opposition leader’s house while attempting to arrest him.

In a statement today, Katongo described Mutinta’s complaint as an “afterthought” because she had decided to report it 18 days after it happened.

“Mrs Mutinta Hichilema today went to Woodlands Police in the company of the media with a view to lodge a complaint against some police officers alleging that they stole undisclosed amounts of money and property during the time when the officers went to apprehend Mr. Hakainde Hichilema. Police officers told Mrs Hichilema to wait as they were attending to another member of the public but she opted to leave and did not go back. However, the public may wish to note that Mrs Hichilema has decided to report the alleged theft, 18 days from the day it is purported to have occurred which is clearly an afterthought intended to damage the image and reputation of the Zambia Police,” said Katongo.

“We would like to bring to the attention of the public that when this allegation started trending in some quarters of the media, Police had made their own inquiries and it was established that the allegation lacked substance and was false on inquiry. The police will therefore not entertain that complaint as it has already investigated it and found to be false and malicious.”

This afternoon, Mutinta’s lawyer Chad Muleza told the media that officers at Woodlands Police Station refused to record an aggravated robbery complaint from the former saying they had to consult their seniors.