Mundubile And Zulu Charged With Treason As Case Widens To 18

Opposition leader Brian Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu have been charged with treason, bringing to 18 the number of people accused in a widening case that has followed Zambia’s August general election. Lawyer Milner Katolo, who represents several of the accused,…

Opposition leader Brian Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu have been charged with treason, bringing to 18 the number of people accused in a widening case that has followed Zambia’s August general election.

Lawyer Milner Katolo, who represents several of the accused, confirmed the development in an interview with Muvi TV, saying his clients, including Mundubile and Zulu of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity, had each been charged with one count of treason.

Katolo said police should have gathered sufficient evidence before laying the charge, and insisted the matter must be taken to court within 48 hours in line with constitutional detention requirements.

Among those already facing the charge are Patrick Mwansa, husband of Tasila Lungu, and Valden Findlay. A separate list named 16 people in total who were confirmed by Katolo to have been charged over an August 14 security operation at Mundubile’s Kabulonga residence.

Mundubile and Zulu remain in custody, having spent more than a week held at a United Nations compound before their transfer to police hands. Officers interrogated both men at Lusaka Central Police Station over the weekend.

Police spokesperson Godfrey Chilabi told Diamond TV that the police station remained open to the public and fully operational, dismissing suggestions that it had been sealed off. “Just like the Inspector General of Police said, all persons in custody are given their full rights, which include interacting with their relatives as well as having access to their legal counsel,” Chilabi said.

The raid on Mundubile’s house, during which former Cabinet minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was killed, has become the flashpoint of the post-election crisis. Police said various military-grade weapons and devices were recovered from the property, and among those arrested were former special forces operatives and a retired police officer.

Mundubile had rejected the outcome of the August 13 election, in which President Hakainde Hichilema was declared winner with 2,965,326 votes against Mundubile’s 1,856,217, and had signalled his intention to challenge the result before the courts.

The Law Association of Zambia has continued to monitor the case, with president Arnold Kaluba addressing a press briefing on developments affecting the accused.

International rights group Amnesty International raised concerns about the arrests, prompting a rebuttal from UPND media director Mark Simuwe, who said Zambia’s justice system required investigations to be completed before charges were determined, and that focus should fall on whether suspects had been subjected to trumped-up charges rather than on the mere fact of arrests involving allegations of possessing military weapons.

With the accused now formally charged, attention turns to how the matter proceeds through the courts, and whether the process will be seen to meet the standard of fairness that both prosecution and defence say they want upheld.