AN Assistant Commissioner of Police has told the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court that accusing Lusaka businessman Valden Findlay of dealing in drugs is the same as referring to President Edgar Lungu as a ‘drug lord’.
Michael Malambo, who claimed that Findlay had only accompanied President Lungu on official trips once, said that in his 24 years of serving as a security officer, if Findlay has been accompanying the head of state on trips on several occasions without his knowledge, he would be failing in his duties.
This is in a matter where New Congress Party leader Peter Chanda lodged a complaint against Chishimba Kambwili in the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court for questioning President Edgar Lungu’s association with Findlay, whom he accused of being a drug king pin.
Malambo, a police officer based at State House, told court that whenever the President is going out of the country, his office is always given information about where the Head of State is going and a manifest (list of people accompanying him).
He said after he is given a list of names, his office takes charge and makes follow ups with officers accompanying the President so that their luggage can be surrendered to his office where they are screened to ensure that it is safe to be handled by the President and his entourage.
“After being satisfied that the luggage is safe, I and my officers take the bags to the airport where it is rescanned before loading it on the plane. The screening is done wherever the President is going so that the luggage can be handed over to the VVIP,” Malambo said. “We check for anything that would either harm or embarrass the Head of State and the entourage and these things are explosives, drugs and any other unusual items,” he explained.
Malambo said the gulfstream which was recently procured by President Lungu in 2019 had never been to Israel contrary to what Kambwili alleged.
He said he has never found President Lungu or his entourage in possession of drugs or any related substance in their luggage.
Malambo charged that the allegations by Kambwili that the presidential jet is used to courier drugs and money are baseless.
“On the part of Findlay, the only time I saw him travel with the President was April 2, 2019 when he went to Ndola. The security come out first and the President second and Findlay has never been the second to come out of the plane,” said Malambo.
In cross-examination by Kambwili’s lawyers Keith Mweemba, Gilbert Phiri and Christopher Mundia, the witness said the Head of State did not mention about the Gulfstream or the Presidential Challenger in his press briefing neither did any of the newspapers quote him in relation to the same.
When asked if Kambwili referred to the Israeli trip when he talked about drugs, Malambo denied saying the presidential jet has never been to Israel.
Asked by Mweemba if the Israeli trip was in relation to money and not drugs, Malambo expressed ignorance.
“Any person who accuses Mr Findlay of drug dealing refers to the President,” Malambo said.
He said Findlay did not accompany the President to Eswathini or Kenya and if he accompanied the President on various trips then he (Malambo) failed to do his job as a security personnel.
When shown the Times of England where the Head of State was captured with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, the witness confirmed that President Lungu visited Israel in 2017.
Malambo added that he has no evidence to dispute the fact that the Head of State visited Israel.
He said he is not aware that the President and Findlay visited Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to allegedly negotiate the release of Indian drug lord Vicky Goswami, who is an acquaintance of Findlay.
Malambo was asked by Phiri if the President’s luggage, including that of the VVIP is searched upon arrival in Zambia to which he denied.
He confirmed that Kambwili was merely questioning the presence of Findlay on presidential trips.
When asked by Mundia if the President and Findlay travelled out of the country on June 9, 2018 Malambo expressed ignorance saying he would be surprised if the same is true.
Trial continues on November 16, 2020.