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Sunday, February 9, 2025
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Lusambo, Wife Face Arrest For Dodging Court

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The Economic and Financial Crimes
Court has ordered the arrest of former Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo and wife, Nancy, for failing to turn up for a scheduled court hearing without any reason.

The court issued a warrant of arrest issued against the duo who was due to appear before court yesterday in a matter in which the former Kabushi parliamentarian is facing 10 corruption-related charges.

The couple was a no-show at court without any explanations provided.

The couple’s absence prompted Magistrate Faides Hamaundu to issue a warrant of arrest against it.

The Lusambos had repeatedly shunned calls from the Anti-Corruption Commission’s Senior Prosecutor Daniel Ngwira, who had been calling them since Monday to remind them of their scheduled court appearance.

Neither the Lusambos’ sureties nor lawyers were present to justify the duo’s absence, prompting Ngwira to submit an application before court for a bench warrant against the couple considering that his efforts to ensure they attend their scheduled case proved futile.

“We are taken aback by the absence of the accused persons together with the sureties who are not before court. We did inform counsel of the accused persons on Monday, June 10, that we had a witness on stand, and we said we are ready to proceed in order to avoid an adjournment,” Ngwira said.

“This morning we did communicate with the defense and they said one of the lawyers will appear before court but he’s not yet here.”

He added, “The accused persons have conducted themselves in an unacceptable manner considering that when the police bond was issued, their warrant indicated that they will be appearing before court and that undertaking has been in reluctant disregard. For the circumstances, we beg the court to exercise its power and cause the accused persons to be brought on warrant,” Ngwira said.

Magistrate Hamaundu has tasked the police to arrest Lusambo and his wife and ensure they appear before court on June 18.

Lusambo and his wife, Nancy Manaseh, are jointly charged with corruption-related offences including one count of corrupt acquisition of public property, five counts of possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime, three counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy to defraud the state.

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