Police in Ndola have disrupted a Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) organized meeting for church leaders which was focussing on the proposed 2019 National Budget.

CTPD Communications Officer Isaiah Mbewe disclosed to News Diggers! in an interview that the meeting, which targeted over 60 faith leaders, was held at a Baptist Church in Ndola and was being facilitated by Pastor George Palo, who was later picked up for helping bring the church leaders together.

Mbewe said he was unsure about Pastor Palo’s whereabouts.

“We as the Centre for Trade Policy and Development had organised a meeting with the faith leaders in Ndola and these faith leaders were coming from different places. From Mufulira, Kitwe and other areas on the Copperbelt. Basically, the focus of the meeting was on the 2019 national budget. The other area the discussion was talking about was illicit financial flows and their implications on the domestic resource mobilisation. So we had our meeting in the morning and it started around 09:00 hours. So we had the first presentation before we were disrupted by the police who came through at 11:00 hours. They came in two vehicles and they sent in one of their people to call the Reverend who was more like the facilitator of the meeting. They walked with him and took him to the police station and this is where we are right now. We are just trying to find out what’s going on. But at the moment we don’t know what’s going on, we’ve checked with the front desk and they didn’t give us any information about his whereabouts,” said Mbewe.