A combined team of police and Anti-Corruption Commission officials yesterday raided Roan PF member member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili’s house in Lusaka where they eventually went away with title deeds among other documents.

Later, police summoned Kambwili to Woodlands Police Station for an arrest but his lawyers informed that the NDC leader had been put on a three-day bed rest as he was unwell.

Police and ACC officials arrived at Kambwili’s house around 06:20 hours but his guards refused to open the gate.

Whilst they police waiting for Kambwili’s lawyers to arrive, ACC corporate affairs officer Jonathan Siame said, on Hot FM’s breakfast show, that ACC officials were shocked when Kambwili arrogantly walked out on them without reaching a conclusion, Wednesday.

“When someone is called at the ACC offices, there is a lot that needs to be done. This is not the first time that we are hosting a high profile individual in society. We have done that countless times but the process is very meticulous…ultimately what you want is correct information to the gathered and because of that, there is a lot of care that needs to be taken. Unfortunately, time also doesn’t seem to allow. But if there is any discomfort, I think there is a way in which you can discuss and reach a mutual agreement and sort out an issue. Moreover, storming out is simply walking out on a person without agreeing. So that act by honourable Kambwili left all of us surprised. We didn’t expect that to happen. That is why I am saying that he stormed out because there was no agreement there. However, I would like to state that the interview started on time but I can’t really say what took place inside the interview room,” said Siame.

But when contacted for a comment, Kambwili said he walked out because he needed to take his medication.

“I did not storm out of the Anti- Corruption Commission offices, that is a misuse of the word storm. I was called at ACC [on Wednesday], we arrived there at 09:30 in the morning. When we arrived there they told us that they called me record a warn and caution statement and that we would be advised on the next course of action and leave. I signed the statement and they told me ‘okay we are done, but we just want to do some consultations’ and they disappeared. They disappeared and left us in a room where we were reading newspapers. At exactly one 0’clock, we sent for one officer at the commission and we asked them if they could release us since I am diabetic and needed to go and take my medication. And they assured us that they were coming but we waited and they did not show up. So that’s how I walked out of the office freely, I was not arrested for you to say that I escaped lawful custody or ran away,” Kambwili explained.

When Kambwili’s lawyers arrived around 07:40, police and ACC officials were finally allowed in and the lawmaker scolded them for “allowing themselves to be used by the PF”.

They proceeded to search Kambwili’s house until around noon when they finally left.

Briefing journalists, Kambwili disclosed that ACC officials had gone away with title deeds among other documents and charged that the state planned to poison him in detention.
“I am reliably informed that PF people to detain me so that they can poison me. So all those charges they are bringing, their aim is to have me confined so that they can poison me. I have got a recording with me where their own members were saying that ‘you people who are following NDC mukashala abana banshiwa without a head because Kambwili can just be given a tramped up charge and then he can be given poison, release him and then he will start getting sick slowly and by the time we get to 2021, he would have died like Tsvangira in Zimbabwe’. It’s on record. So all the steps they are taking is to try and detain me so that I can be poisoned. But I can tell you that my spirit will never rest until those who will be behind the poisoning are brought to book and they also pay for poisoning. Those officers here at home they came to search for vessels, suspected aeroplanes, pots… and by the way, they’ve only taken the tittle deeds for my properties. And those are tittle deeds for real estate,” Kambwili said.

Kambwili condemned police officers for their conduct.

“I would like to commend the ACC, their conduct while conducting the search was excellent and I want to applaud them for being professional, that’s how it should be. But I want to complain against the behaviour of the police. They started harassing people in the neighbourhood, searching vehicles that were coming from the north and going to the south direction and they kept on banging on the gate before my lawyers could come. Surely, if you come to conduct a search in a peaceful manner, should you come with so many police officers? That is a waste of tax payers’ money because we have so many criminal activities going on and some of those police officers could have been assigned to stop those criminal activities, instead of keeping them here from 06:00 hours up to 11:00 hours. So I want to ask the police command at the Ministry of Home affairs to speak to the police to behave well when they are dealing with citizens because I am not a criminal,” said Kambwili.

Around 15:00 hours, police summoned Kambwili to Woodlands Police Station but his lawyers, Christopher Mundia, Keith Mweemba and Gilbert Phiri represented him, telling officers that he was on bed rest.

“Honorable Kambwili is not okay. As you are aware, yesterday he was called to the ACC and due to the delay there, he could not take his medication on time and he had to rush, I am not a medical doctor, but I am assuming that could have triggered his current condition. So we have just been presented with a medical report that he has been given three days bed rest and so we have engaged our comrades from the Anti Corruption Commission and we have given them the sick note and they said they will get back to us and tell us when to take him there again,” said Mweemba in an interview.