The fugitive lawmaker Emmanuel ‘Jay Jay’ Banda who cowardly ran away from his legal problems in Zambia was living comfortably in Zimbabwe, it has been learned.
Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister Jack Mwiimbu, who has just held a media briefing on Banda’s capture and pending extradition back to Zambia to face the music, revealed that the infamous escapee experienced nothing like medical problems while he lived in a flat like “any normal Zimbabwean”.
While the news of his capture started filtering through last evening, Mwiimbu disclosed that Banda’s location had been known for about two weeks and the extradition process, now advanced, began two weeks ago, assuring the nation that the troublesome Petauke Central Constituency independent member of parliament would soon be enjoying the Zambian criminal justice hospitality he hastily abandoned in August.
The minister lauded the cooperation between Zambian and Zimbabwean authorities and refused to associate the rising penchant for PF-aligned lawbreakers to flee to Zimbabwe to hide from the law to anything other than themselves, Chishimba Kambwili also made a runner for Zimbabwe and was brought back, as did Kaizer Zulu.
Mwiimbu also castigated opposition political players who’ve been seemingly in cahoots with the fugitive while portraying the government as being behind his disappearance and demanding he be returned alive.
He wondered how they knew all the things they were now disclosing if they had not been in touch with Banda all this while, facilitating his stay in Zimbabwe, even enabling his many wives to visit him.
Mwiimbu also said Banda did not willingly surrender to the authorities, contrary to some stories being peddled, but was captured by Zimbabwean security forces.
“Now that he has been captured, Emmanuel Banda will tell us how he escaped from custody.”
Banda faces a raft of offenses, not least escaping from lawful custody which has been added since his stunt of escaping from a hospital in Chipata.
Three days ago, Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti gave Banda a 7-day ultimatum to present himself before the house or have his seat declared vacant.
It promises to be an interesting time as Zambians wait with bated breath to learn the truth about the initial alleged abduction, over which he has made many allegations but refused to cooperate with investigating law enforcement, to his escape from lawful custody.
