Roan PF member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili yesterday wept as he was trying to secure bail at the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court.
And after all efforts to secure bail or police bond failed, the NDC leader fell ill and was rushed to the University Teaching Hospital to seek medical attention.
Kambwili, who was discharged from Care For Business hospital around 11:30 hours, was immediately taken to Woodlands Police Station by heavily armed police officers.
Upon arrival at the station, police fired uncountable warning shots into the air to disperse National Democratic Congress cadres who had gathered to offer solidarity to their leader.
At the station, Kambwili and his lawyers were led to the office of the officer-in-charge where he became seemingly ill and began to shake vigorously.
His wife panicked and rushed to grab a BP-reading machine from the car and tried to check his BP but failed as he was still shaking.
After a few minutes, Kambwili stabilized but police kept him there for about two and a half hours as they were debating on whether or not to grant him police bond.
Eventually, police said they could not grant him bond because his case was already before the courts of law.
After consultation with his lawyers, Kambwili decided to go and apply for bail at the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court. As he was about to leave Woodlands Police, Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda was seen arriving at the police station.
Once at the Magistrates’ Court, Kambwili began to cry as his wife consoled him.
United Party for National Development leader Hakainde Hichilema and his vice Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba later joined Kambwili to offer solidarity.
However, his pursuit for bail hit a snag when officers from the Anti-Corruption Commission refused to enter the courtroom. Magistrate Mwaka Mikalile declined to hear his bail application because ACC prosecutors were absent. The magistrate suggested that he go back to Woodlands Police Station to apply for bond instead.
Back at the station, Police resumed their debate on whether or not they could issue bond or not. Kambwili began to weep again at which point his wife and daughter became emotional and joined him in weeping.
At one point, his wife couldn’t help it but rant over “unprofessional police conduct”.
Two hours later, police informed Kambwili’s lawyers that they could not issue him police bond, without any reasons this time.
Kambwili became sick and was rushed to the University Teaching Hospital to receive medical treatment.
In an interview, one of Kambwili’s lawyers Christopher Mundia said his client was disappointed with how police treated him.
“The police assured us that we would get bond but once we arrived at the police, they just turned around 360 degrees. The client has degenerated and as we speak I have left him admitted at UTH. He was also wondering what the president’s spokesperson Amos Chanda was doing at the police because we saw him there. He was wondering whether it was just a coincidence. But anyway, that is the situation, I have left him at UTH,” said Mundia.
The Anti-Corruption Commission on Monday presented thirty-four counts of possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime involving over K5 million before Lusaka magistrate Mwaka Mikalile.
One of the offenses on the indictment is that on August 18th, 2016, Kambwili had K495,000 in his account suspected to be proceeds of crime. The Roan Member of Parliament is in another account accused of having been in possession of 180 thousand Kwacha, property suspected to be proceeds of crime. All the money mentioned in the thirty-four counts is said to have been in an account that is domiciled at the Zambia National Commercial Bank.
Kambwili is yet to take plea today.